FIFA-Interpol workshop on match fixing perils

New Delhi: A two-day FIFA-Interpol Workshop on 'Tackling Match Fixing and Corruption in Football' will be held in the capital from January 15.

The workshop is a part of FIFA-Interpol Training, Education and Prevention initiative and is being partnered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Besides representatives from FIFA, Interpol -- the world's largest police organisation -- and CBI the workshop would also be attended by the representatives from Delhi and Mumbai police.

Representatives from All India Football Federation (AIFF), International Criminal Court and football club owners would also be present along with representatives from the Sports Ministry.

Shaji Prabhakaran, FIFA Development Officer for South and Central Asia who is coordinating the meet, said the priority was to "educate all stakeholders".

"FIFA has a partnership with Interpol since 2011 and the focus is to put into place the preventive measures and educate all the stakeholders and key players about the menace of match manipulations. We intend to engage all the law enforcing agencies in the act," Prabhakaran said.

"I need to complement AIFF for being proactive and coming on board for bringing this initiative to India. A partnership development meeting involving the key stakeholders of football and law enforcement agencies would also be held at the end of the workshop.

"This group will be taking the discussion forward and put in place the framework and continue the process of educating all about the manipulation and related issues," he added.

As part of the programme, the workshop will throw light on various match-fixing scenarios and the links involved in it. A separate session will be devoted on Interpol demonstrating as how to combat 'match-fixing'.

It will involve methods to fight corruption in sports including identifying key stakeholders, importance of information collection and sharing, training and education and how to overcome barriers and motivate key factors.