Background and definition

Match-fixing is a deliberate attempt to change or influence the outcome of a sports competition in an impermissible manner, in order to eliminate part of the unpredictability associated with sports competitions. The purpose of match-fixing is to gain advantages for oneself or others.

Simply put, match-fixing means to manipulate the result of a sports competition in a deliberate and impermissible way for the benefit of oneself or others.

Match-fixing has existed for as long as there have been competitions. It extends over a large number of sports and sporting competitions, and is often – and has been historically – linked to betting. This means that bets are placed on the result of a competition, or on some element of a match or competition, while simultaneously the sporting performance is in some way manipulated to match the placed bets.

How does it work?

To better understand match-fixing, it is important to look at how it is carried out and who organizes it. There are different types of manipulation and the reasons behind it can vary. It can be betting-related, sports-related, financial, or a combination of reasons.

Match-fixing through direct influence

The most common type of match-fixing is when a player, coach or referee directly influences a sports competition in an unnatural way. This is also the type of match-fixing most often associated with betting.

Match-fixing through direct influence can be done in a variety of ways, depending on the sport and the type of competition. For example, by:

• A football player deliberately taking a yellow card.

• An entire team, like skiers in a cross-country skiing team, deliberately underperforming in a relay.

• A boxer and the opponent agreeing on who will win the match.

• An ice hockey goalkeeper deliberately conceding a number of goals in a period.

• A golfer deliberately underperforming on a specific hole.

Other types of manipulation

Match-fixing can be done in a variety of other ways. One way is by changing an athlete's identity or personal information. For example, an athlete may claim to be older or younger than they are, enabling participation in an age group that gives them an advantage over others.

Another kind of manipulation is through changes to the sports field, the equipment or materials that are contrary to legislation or the regulations of the sport. Some examples of this:

• Goal cages in an ice hockey match are adjusted in a way that makes it easier for a goalkeeper to push the goal out of position, thus avoiding conceding a legitimate goal.

• Motorsport equipment is manipulated in such a way that it gives a driver an advantage over other participants.

Several of the forms of manipulation listed above constitute a violation of the sports rules, but in cases where the act is linked to the outcome of a bet, or involves giving and taking a bribe, it also constitutes a violation of legislation.

Who is behind it

To understand the mechanisms of match-fixing, it is important to look at how the manipulation is organised, i.e. who takes the initiative and who is behind it. The initiators can primarily be divided into two overarching categories: actors within sports and actors outside of sports.

Actors within sports

By actors within sports we mean that the initiators of match-fixing work somewhere in sports, at different levels and in different functions or capacities. Initiators within sports can broadly be divided into two categories: people in management functions and people in or near the sporting activity itself. For example, these could be:

• A coach who makes sure that athletes influence the result in an unnatural way.

• A club management member who registers the wrong age of an athlete in order to gain advantages in a competition.

• Leaders of an organisation that hire referees who are paid to influence a competition in a particular way.

• Players in a team who agree to deliberately underperform in a match to earn financial gain linked to betting.

Actors outside of sports

The second overarching category, actors outside of sports, can be split up into two strains: people who already know the athlete in some way and people and groups who do not know the athlete beforehand. Some examples:

• An agent who forces an athlete to achieve a result that benefits the agent's financial interests.

• Criminal networks. A referee or athlete is contacted by a person from a criminal network who wants the match to be swayed in a certain way that generates money for the network.

• An old friend of an athlete has gambling debts and contacts the athlete with a request to influence the result so that it matches the person’s bet.

You have now learned about different types of match-fixing, how it works, and who is behind it. You will now learn about factors that increase the risk of match-fixing.

Risk-factors

Anyone in sports is at risk of getting involved in match-fixing, but there are a few particular factors that contribute to increased risks. Here are some of the key risk factors:

• Problem gambling. A player, coach or other official who has gambling problems, and at the same time has the opportunity to influence results, is at great risk of participating in match-fixing.

• Betting offerings. A wide range of betting offerings in a sport, e.g. betting on certain events or occurrences in a match, or betting at lower levels of competition, makes it easier both to gamble on that specific sport and to influence a result in a certain way, without it being detected.

• Financial problems. An athlete who has financial problems is at greater risk of being involved in match-fixing. It increases the risk of being lured into borrowing money from the wrong people, who in return demand that the athlete manipulates matches. An athlete may also decide on their own initiative to make money on their own performance.

• Early career stage. A player at the beginning of their career may be susceptible to forces outside of sports. What may at first be a gift from an agent, may in the end become a demand to manipulate results.

• Late career stage. Players at the end of their career may feel some uncertainty about their future and may also feel that both the risk of being caught and the risk of any consequences are significantly lower. These players are therefore extra receptive to a request to manipulate a result to make money.

• Insignificant matches. Friendly matches and friendly tournaments, or matches and tournaments at the beginning or end of a season, involve a greater risk since organisers and initiators of match-fixing believe there is less risk of detection.

• Seasonal calendar. The timing of when matches and tournaments are played, relative to when they are played in other countries, can contribute to an increased risk. In football, for example, many league matches are played in Sweden while large parts of the European leagues have breaks. This means a wider range of betting offerings on Swedish matches, and greater sums in circulation.

Who is at risk?

It is important to remember that the risk of being contacted by organised match fixers applies to a wide range of people and functions in sports, especially those who in some way have the opportunity to influence the outcome of the sports result. In addition, it is also a risk for anyone who has any kind of information about a match or competition that may be valuable to those who want to make money on sports betting. Disclosing such information may involve the risk of being blackmailed later on and may put an entire club in a difficult position.

Given the growth of sports betting in the gambling market, and the increased ability of organised crime syndicates to invest significant sums of money based on inside information, all clubs with competing athletes are becoming increasingly valuable. This means that a large number of people in sports are at risk.

Examples

Below are three films about the different forms of match-fixing that you have learnt about. After watching the films, you have completed the task.