OUR MEASURES
In 2012 the DFB and DFL joined forces regarding the early detection and prevention of match-fixing and other irregularities in the operation of football matches to work together on the project “Together Against Match-Fixing – don’t fix the game!” and have developed this project continuously since then. The emphasis of this project is to inform not only players but also coaches, referees, club officials, management, and everyone associated with these about the dangers emanating from gambling addiction and from match-fixing and to take appropriate preventative measures.
The preventative measures of “Together Against Match-Fixing” have been packaged and grouped into four pillars of activities:
- Prevention workshops
- Monitoring
Prevention Workshops
The DFB and DFL have developed a comprehensive programme of prevention workshops which initially concentrated primarily on youth players. Since the 2014-15 season all certified youth academies (of Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2, 3. Liga and Regional Leagues) have committed themselves, starting from the U16 up to U23 age group, to holding annual workshops on the prevention of gambling addiction and match-fixing, and to provide proof to the DFL or below Bundesliga 2 to the DFB that these have been carried out.
Since the start of the 2018-19 season the licensed, i.e. professional, teams of all 36 clubs of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 have committed themselves to participating once per season in a workshop on the prevention of match-fixing. As is the case for the youth academies, participation in these workshops is a pre-condition for the issue of a licence to compete in the respective leagues. The workshops for the licensed teams are conducted uniformly by the Association of Contract Soccer Players (Vereinigung der Vertragsfußballspieler, VDV) on behalf of the DFL.
The DFL Integrity App and an e-learning tutorial have been developed to supplement the workshops. Via the DFL Integrity App messages to report irregularities can be sent directly to the Ombudsman. The app is free and available in the App Stores, while the e-learning tutorial is reserved for the players of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 licensed teams and those in all accredited youth academies. It is only accessible via a log-in. In the e-learning tutorial details of the most important rules of behaviour and legal conditions are explained, as well as possible consequences.
In addition, since the 2020-21 season the DFB has been educating its leagues with a newly developed program which - similar to the measures of the DFL - includes an e-learning tutorial in addition to workshops. While the workshops are carried out by the long-time partner Association of contract soccer players (Vereinigung der Vertragsfußballspieler, VDV), the e-learning tutorial is part of a special online learning environment (edubreak®), which is also used for coaches’ training and development. Supported by in-house developed videos, the focus is on sustainable knowledge input and wide-ranging education on the topic of (betting- and sports-related) match-fixing.
In addition to the workshops for the 3. Liga, Google Pixel Women's League and 2nd Women's League, the DFB also makes its training materials (presentation and short film) available to the five regional and 21 state associations and offers the possibility of conducting prevention workshops on-site.
Rules and Regulations
The DFB and DFL have incorporated a range of rules in their regulations and contract documents which form a regulatory basis for combating match-fixing. On the one hand, this concerns the requirements for licensing (e.g. the obligation to participate in workshops) and on the other hand the prohibitions and obligations (e.g. the prohibition of match-fixing, prohibition of betting, prohibition of disclosure of inside information and the obligation to report, all of which are entrenched in the DFB Legal and Procedural Regulations). The DFB Legal and Procedural Regulations relevant to match-fixing are also incorporated in the licensing and employment contracts for professional and contract players as well as the promotion contracts for youth players. Further information about the relevant legal basis can be found here.
Ombudsman
One of the first and most important preventative measures was the appointment of an ombudsman in 2011. The joint Ombudsman for the DFB and DFL, lawyer Dr Carsten Thiel von Herff, is an external and independent contact person. He is available as a confidential contact person for players, coaches, team staff, club officials and referees. His most important role is the recipient of information on (planned or actual) match-fixing or other irregularities in football and eFootball. In addition, he provides advice to everyone involved in football and eFootball on how to manage possible hazardous situations or suspicious circumstances.
Monitoring
A further key component of the preventative measures being taken by the DFB and DFL is ensuring comprehensive monitoring of betting markets.
The associations have been working with monitoring service providers since 2005, who support the DFL (Sportradar AG) and DFB (Genius Sports Ltd.) in the detection and analysis of possible betting-related match-fixing. Both providers record the sports betting offers and odds of over 600 relevant bookmakers worldwide and analyze conspicuous betting patterns and changes in odds. Comparable co-operations exist with numerous national and international sports associations, including FIFA, UEFA and other leagues.
On behalf of both associations (DFL und DFB), all matches from the Bundesliga to the Oberliga are thus monitored by the above-mentioned monitoring service providers.
