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UEFA alarmed by rising risk of money-laundering [Thu Aug 25th, 2005]
Monaco (Reuters) - European football's governing body is increasingly concerned that criminals may be using football to launder money either by buying into clubs or gambling on match results.
Chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson said that UEFA was increasing its efforts to establish the source of the money pouring into the game and to stop European matches being fixed by Asian betting syndicates.
"The whole idea of vast amounts of money coming into football presents us with an alarming situation, one that, because of modern technology like the Internet, can cross borders and one that can be very difficult to legislate against.
"There is the possibility that criminal gangs are trying to use football as a gigantic money-laundering machine and we have to stop this," Olsson told reporters.
UEFA has asked the European Union to look into the sources of the money entering European football and UEFA's top officials have met with MPs from the European parliament who work as the "Friends of Football" group.
"Because of the Champions League the popularity of football has grown significantly, especially in Asia where in China, Japan and even places like Nepal it is enormously popular," UEFA president Lennart Johansson said.
"I have spoken to FIFA (world ruling body) president Sepp Blatter about my concerns that drug money and money from other gangsters is coming into football, that bribes are being offered to players and referees and that matches are being used by betting syndicates.
"We recently had a case in Finland involving a club that had just been taken over. We have to be very vigilant but we, as a football authority, only have a limited amount of power.
"It is up to national governments and authorities and the European Union to look at this situation too."
DOMINANT POSITION
Olsson said UEFA is working closely with betting organisations to detect any unusual gambling patterns as soon as possible.
"Once this has been established, we notify the match delegate who will take whatever action is necessary. This is how we knew of something irregular in Finland recently."
The case in Finland involved Allianssi Vantaa, last season's runners-up, who lost a league match 8-0 to champions Haka Valkeakoski on July 7.
UEFA and Betfair, an English company, also detected irregular betting on last season's UEFA Cup match between Dinamo Tbilisi and Panionios. Tblisi led 2-0 at half-time, only for Panionios to win the match 5-2.
"For the illegal gamblers and the money launderers, it is a good way to make their money clean," Olsson said.
"We know they also choose low-level matches in perhaps the German second division for instance, and even if they lose 15 per cent of their money in the gamble, they still get most of it clean, which represents a great result for them."
The German Supreme Court has convened a special hearing on November 8 to look at ways of streamlining German law on betting.
The biggest bribery scandal in Germany since 1971 broke in January when referee Robert Hoyzer admitted his part in fixing results.
On another level, UEFA is also concerned about businessmen like Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich who owns Chelsea and has interests, although not directly, in other clubs.
"At the moment someone like Mr Abramovich is within the rules that exist on ownership, but we are reviewing our own legislation which at the moment prevents someone having a 'dominant position' at more than one club," said Olsson.
"We have to define what 'dominant position' means and be more specific. We have to guarantee the integrity of the sport to the absolute best level we can."
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