FIFA Global Integrity Programme: Lawyer Massimiliano Rosti took part in the first edition

The issue of integrity in football is becoming increasingly central and widely recognised by all stakeholders at local, national and international level. Ensuring the proper running of competitions, free from the distorting influence of practices such as collusion or match-fixing, is the main guarantee that the world’s most played and followed sport will continue to enjoy the support of fans, partners and – first and foremost – the players on the pitch. A few days ago, FIFA launched the Global Integrity Programme, the first edition of a project involving its member associations and, more broadly, the governments of the respective countries, aimed at developing initiatives to combat the manipulation of matches – recognised as a global threat to the integrity of football. To this end, world football’s governing body has entered into a partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to provide specific tools and expertise for these activities. The aim is to share with the Integrity Officers of member associations all the information and best practices that can be implemented to protect football from one of its most serious threats – one from which even lower-tier competitions and smaller FAs are not exempt. The programme, organised on a regional basis and addressed to the individual FIFA-affiliated confederations, is structured into three modules over a total duration of five days. Starting from the regulatory framework of international football and of FIFA itself, Integrity Officers are guided through practical tools to launch investigations; guidelines for integrity initiatives and best practices; analysis of the latest trends in the field; and the creation of a global network of contacts focused on the most recent and effective measures against match manipulation. The FIFA Global Integrity Programme debuted in March 2021, involving the Integrity Officers of the football associations affiliated to the Asian confederation (AFC), before moving in April to CONMEBOL and in August to CONCACAF. Last September it was the turn of the Integrity Officers of the African federations (CAF), and the programme has recently been launched within the Oceania (OFC) and European (UEFA) confederations as well. Representing the San Marino Football Federation was lawyer Massimiliano Rosti, who has long served as FSGC Integrity Officer and, through the advanced and regular initiatives promoted over the years by UEFA, has built up substantial experience in this area. The first module, held on 25 May, was opened by Carlos Schneider Salvadores (Director of FIFA’s Judicial Bodies), Angelo Rigopoulos (UEFA Managing Director of Integrity and Regulatory) and Giovanni Gallo (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime). After an update on integrity initiatives carried out by UEFA and FIFA, presented by their respective heads of department, Ennio Bovolenta and Vincente Ven, the Integrity Officers were then guided through the specific regulations adopted by the two international organisations, and were also able to gain an understanding of United Nations policies on the matter. Naturally, particular emphasis was placed on strengthening national laws on sports fraud and on the necessary cooperation between European federations to counter a phenomenon that has become even more prominent in the wake of the pandemic and an unfavourable economic climate. The data shared by Claudio Marinelli – Criminal Intelligence Officer at Interpol – on manipulated competitions, and the related analysis, enabled Integrity Officers to understand in concrete terms how far we still are from eradicating these distortions. Football, united, can however act as the main antibody, and this is ultimately the goal of the recently launched FIFA Global Integrity Programme.

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