Asia
Sportradar Renews Integrity Partnership with AFC
Sportradar, the world’s leading supplier of sports integrity solutions, has renewed its long-standing integrity partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that will last through to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023. Under the agreement, Sportradar will continue to support the AFC Integrity Unit with the Intelligence and Investigation Services which have proved vital in the fight against match-fixing in the region.
The effects of this strong partnership are already clear to see, with a marked decrease in match-fixing issues in Asian football. Over the years, the partnership has developed to include multi-faceted approaches to tackle integrity issues, through a range of cutting-edge intelligence services. In terms of technical achievements, a major milestone came in 2017 with the launch of the AFC integrity mobile app, enabling fans, players and officials to report concerns directly to the AFC Integrity Unit.
As part of the new agreement, the AFC integrity mobile app will be upgraded to allow for the reporting of doping, bullying and harassment incidents too. The evolving intelligence capabilities of Sportradar will also allow the AFC to take advantage of their expertise in the areas of anti-doping, age fraud, stadium security and compliance matters in the years ahead.
“Sportradar have been a valued and trusted partner of ours since 2013, and we are very proud of what we have accomplished together to help protect the integrity of Asian football. However, we cannot stand still and become complacent, that is why our cooperation has evolved over the years to include detection, safeguarding, prevention and reporting measures. Through this, Asian football has the level of integrity protection that befits our loyal and passionate fans across the continent,” Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, President of AFC said.
“We have been proud partners of the AFC since 2013 and are delighted to be extending our integrity agreement over the next four years. Our partnership has been characterised by action and innovation in the fight against match-fixing, and strong cooperation has been central for this. From day one, the AFC have sought to make integrity their top priority, and this has led to many positive results, including a clear decline in match-fixing issues across Asia,” Carsten Koerl, CEO of Sportradar, said.
“Sportradar are committed to developing the Integrity Services and have made serious investments in the intelligence, investigation, and anti-doping services to ensure our service remains the gold standard in integrity. We look forward to continuing our close working relationship with the AFC over the coming years and playing an even bigger role in helping to uphold the integrity of Asian football,” Carsten Koerl added.
“The partnership and collaboration with Sportradar has been a real success story. They have provided excellent support in helping with key investigations and at the same time we have seen a significant reduction in the number of matches which are of concern. It demonstrates, while there is no room for complacency, that we are prepared to take on those who wish to manipulate our sport,” Benoit Pasquier, AFC General Counsel and Director of Legal Affairs, said.