Brussels, 28/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - On 28 September, the President of UEFA (Union des associations européennes de football), Michel Platini, pleaded before the Council of Europe in favour of close cooperation between the European football authorities and the member states of the Council of Europe, to fight the phenomenon of match fixing. Michel Platini, who came to speak in the framework of the activities of the extended partial agreement on sport of the Council of Europe, welcomed the recommendation adopted by the institution that same day. This is just a first step, but it is a decisive step, which “must logically lead us to the conclusion of an international convention against match fixing”, he said.
The recommendation of the Council of Europe promotes the integrity of sport to fight any manipulation of the results, particularly fixed matches, and includes guidelines. Fixed matches are a new challenge to the ethics of sport and a threat to the democratic governance of sport, the rule of law and public order, the Council of Europe stresses. In his speech, Michel Platini commented on the close link between match fixing and sports betting, the work of criminal organisations whose activities blend money-laundering with corruption and fraud of all kinds. Although certain countries, in order to remedy gaps in their criminal code, have brought in this specific crime of sports fraud, this procedure is by no means general; which is why the intervention of the Council of Europe is needed, “to encourage its member states to make sports fraud a crime and (…) to encourage the vital cooperation between the public and sports authorities which is required in the matter”, continued the former sportsman. Michel Platini is also eagerly awaiting the report to be adopted by the European Parliament in the near future on the Green Paper on online gambling and gaming. The UEFA president also spoke of another plague which is becoming widespread: violence in the stadia. Despite progress made, violent behaviour persists. Michel Platini said that the 1985 Convention of the Council of Europe on “spectator violence and misbehaviour at sports events” is an excellent instrument to help fight this behaviour, but requires changes to “bring it up to date with the requirements of the 21st-century”. On the subject of financial fair play, Platini intends to guarantee the “sustainable development of football”, in other words to “encourage clubs down the path of a culture of reasonable planning and investment”. Lastly Platini pleaded for players in national teams to be made available to guarantee their future, arguing that the European sports model is based on open competitions where clubs and national teams exist in harmony. “Sport needs a clear and predictable, robust legal framework. Because we should not suffer the future, but shape it”, he concluded. (IL/transl.fl)