FIFA announce new anti-corruption measures

World football’s governing body FIFA have announced a plan to pump more than 17 million pounds into a new anti-corruption program.

The governing body will invest 17.5 million pounds to help abolish match fixing and illegal betting by helping to educate players, referees and officials.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said it was important for the sport’s integrity that there were no ‘behind-the-scenes’ activities going on.

“The threat of match fixing is a major one and we are committed to doing everything to tackle it,” he said.

“In the fight against illegal betting and match-fixing, the preventive measures that can be taken and the protection of the players and the integrity of the game are of the utmost importance.”

“Joint work with the authorities and with Interpol is crucial for success, and for this reason we are very pleased to announce this contribution.”

The multi-million pound investment will aid in the development of an anti-corruption training operation based at Interpol’s offices in Singapore.

There were calls of collusion regarding FIFA’s voting process to decipher the host nations for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups when Russia and Qatar were respectively ordered the hosting rights last year.

Match-fixing has also blighted football in recent years, with major scandals in Germany in 2009 and Italy in 2006.

Blatter added: “Match-fixing shakes the very foundations of sport, namely fair play, respect and discipline. That’s why FIFA employs a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to any infringement of these values.”

Blatter is currently locked in a presidential battle against Asian football president Mohamed Bin Hammam ahead of the election on June 1.