Strasbourg, 26/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday morning 25 April, the Council of Europe focused on a question of sport, in the third day of the spring session. This involved an examination by members of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (CEPA) of two reports - “Good governance and ethics in sport” and “Match fixing” - and a vote on recommendations on these questions.
There was no beating about the bush in these debates where everyone agreed that “the world of sport needs to begin reform because the real situation is far from how it should be and is quite shocking” in the words of François Rochebloine (EPP, France), the author of the first report discussed. Luxembourg Liberal Anne Brasseur, the rapporteur for the second report, emphasised that the “anonymity of betting and transactions thanks to the internet and globalisation of the financial markets explain the fact that organised crime is taking sport hostage on a frequently increasing basis”. In a reference to an investigation carried out in Germany in 2009, Brasseur referred to 300 matches played in 25 European countries whose results were in doubt and which created profits of €5 million (certainly underestimated) out of the €1.75 million invested. After eight months of investigation, 150 arrests were made in Croatia, Slovakia, Turkey, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, and other countries. Ten people received prison sentences. This is certainly not an insignificant case but there is absolutely nothing unique about it.
Faced with the problem of these networks and practices, which some may describe as “insider dealing” in the world of finance, a response is required and needs to be as comprehensive as possible. This message was repeated by parliamentarians who were aware that with 47 member states, the Council of Europe had sufficient critical mass for initiating a harmonised response to this question. Their recommendations therefore call for a genuinely firm response to tackle a system that is increasingly further removed from its original philosophy. A response required on ethics calls for a “law on sport” in each country, which includes provisions to protect young people and migrants, higher standards on financial transparency that could also help towards the self funding of clubs, and penalties that fit the severity of the offences committed.
The recommendation on match fixing focuses on information from young athletes with regard to criminal activity practised by criminal groups and the implementation of mechanisms to promote a uniform fight against their practices in Europe. This could involve collaboration between the different actors in the sports sector, together with police and legal bodies at national and international level, restricting betting and defining deterrent prison sentences. Finally, Brasseur also calls for the definition of a “Convention on Sport” developed at the level of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe and defined in collaboration with third countries and the UN.
Although all sport is covered by the texts adopted in Strasbourg, football is obviously the main target, with a real uppercut delivered to the International Football Association (FIFA) and its president, Joseph Blatter. In the resolution based on the “good governance and ethics in sport” report by François Rochebloine, the CEPA calls for a far reaching and exhaustive enquiry into the recent election of Joseph Blatter, to determine whether he took advantage of his institutional position to grant inappropriate favours to potential voters. He also calls for all documents to be made available on the affair involving the Swiss promoter ISL/ISMM that went bankrupt in 2001 and which led to allegations of bribes being made to FIFA officials in exchange for coverage of World Cup games. The case was hushed up in return for repayment of the bribes and was being pursued by Thomas Hildbrand, the prosecutor from the Zoug canton. Hilbrand's presence during the debates in Strasbourg proved just how important these debates were. FIFA sent a letter to the Council of Europe, following adoption of François Rochebloine's report during the culture and education committee meeting on 6 March. The French MP considers that it is unacceptable that FIFA is using the pretext of defending its autonomy to reject any outside interference in its affairs. He added that “it is respect for the rule of law that is in question here” and said that he had the feeling that there was a “law of silence” with regard to the reading of this letter. He thought that there was a possible conspiracy of silence and his colleagues concurred. (VL/transl.fl)