|
|
AFC chief Jilong decries match-fixing
20 Feb 2013 12:55:00 PM
In a speech attended by both Fifa and Interpol, the AFC's president emphasised the need for all involved in the sport to remain vigilant in the wake of recent scandals
AFC chief Zhang Jilong has warned that match-fixing is a "real danger to the sanctity of the sport" and has vowed to ensure it is eliminated from Asia.Addressing a conference on Wednesday co-hosted by Interpol and Fifa, the acting Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chief called on the stakeholders of Asian football to work closely with each other to address major concerns of match-fixing in football.
The two-day seminar entitled "Match-fixing: The ugly side of the beautiful game," a co-operative endeavour with Fifa, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and MACC, began with over 150 delegates representing over 40 AFC member associations, law enforcement personnel, and betting industry interests in attendance.
"It is well known that AFC has zero tolerance for match-fixing," Jilong said in his remarks. "We have been working together with Fifa and our member associations to tackle this serious problem for some time now.
"We need to admit that match-fixing is a real danger to football’s ethical values and needs to be eliminated to preserve the sanctity of the sport.
"I can assure this conference that AFC will not rest until this plague is completely stamped out in Asia."
Jilong also stressed the confederation will provide assistance in educating the stakeholders of Asian football on the seriousness of match fixing.
He said: "The AFC will educate the players, officials and all stakeholders on raising awareness about this serious issue.
"We need to understand how match-fixing works in order to prevent it. We need more information on how crime syndicates operate."
Related Stories
Inside Goal.Com
-
The Bafana squad for Lesotho, CAR and Ethiopia
South Africa's Gordon Igesund has included a few unexpected players in his 25-men squad to face Lesotho before traveling to Ethiopia
-
Bayern's jinx - CL final referee Nicola Rizzoli
Goal takes a look at the career of the Italian arbiter to date following Uefa's decision to appoint the 41-year-old for Saturday's showpiece at Wembley
-
SA Goal readers best comments of the week
Read our second installment of our Goal readers comments on all the big talking points in South African soccer over the week. Join the discussion on our Facebook and Twitter
-
SA Player of the Week: Mabhuti Khenyeza
The Ajax Cape Town striker inspired his side to PSL survival on Saturday with two goals and an assist in the process
-
Who is the greatest Champions League striker ever?
Enter our competition now and you will be in with a chance of winning one of four replica football shirts. Simply pick your favourite and subscribe to our YouTube channel