AFC extends and expands partnership with Sportradar

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has today signed a new agreement with sports data company Sportradar for an historic partnership in the field of integrity, specifically addressing match-fixing.

Sportradar’s Intelligence and Investigation Services will now be engaged with the AFC from the 2018 and 2019 seasons to investigate those behind fraud on the pitch in Asia. This comes after all matches in the top two leagues and cups in the AFC Member Associations, as well as in AFC competitions, will be monitored for betting patterns as part of an existing agreement between the AFC, Sportradar and FIFA.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who joined Sportradar Chief Executive Carsten Koerl at the signing, said: “In the AFC Vision and Mission, the fight against match-fixing is imperative and remains ongoing. We, at the AFC, take this threat extremely seriously and our actions during recent years demonstrate our zero-tolerance stance. But we also appreciate that times are changing, and technology is needed to combat this ever-growing threat. Sportradar’s technology and proven expertise will help us to target those corrupting our game.”

AFC General Counsel & Director of Legal Affairs Benoit Pasquier added: “Sportradar’s Intelligence & Investigation Services have played a crucial role in previous AFC cases and they provided firm support to the AFC Judicial Bodies.”

Koerl said: “We are delighted, honoured and proud that the AFC is taking such a determined step in the fight against match-fixing. Our Fraud Detection System has long been proven as a potent weapon against match manipulation. And now our Intelligence and Investigation products will give the AFC an added layer of protection.”

Sportradar’s Fraud Detection System and Intelligence and Investigation Services are world leaders in their field, partnering with over 70 football associations and have been involved in investigations leading to 214 sporting sanctions and 24 criminal convictions.