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The world governing body confirm they are devising a 10-year anti-corruption programme in an attempt to eradicate match fixing and illegal betting from the sport

Fifa have announced a €20 million plan, alongside Interpol, that will work in an attempt to eradicate match fixing and illegal betting in football.

The world football governing body and Interpol have devised a 10-year anti-corruption programme that they hope will reduce future incidents like the match fixing charges that were raised against Juventus, Lazio and AC Milan in 2006.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter highlighted the threats that have been posed to football in recent years and stressed the commitment of Fifa and Interpol to protect the future of the game.  

"The threat of match-fixing is a major one and we are committed to doing everything to tackle it," Blatter said.

"In the fight against illegal betting and match-fixing, the preventive measures that can be taken and the protection of the players and the integrity of the game are of the utmost importance.

"Joint work with the authorities and with Interpol is crucial for success, and for this reason we are very pleased to announce this contribution."

The plan will see £17.5m (€20m) spent to educate players around the world to the threats of match fixing, as well as highlighting the dangers to referees and officials, and Blatter was keen to stress that any instances of match fixing or illegal betting in the future would be stamped out immediately.

"Match-fixing shakes the very foundations of sport, namely fair play, respect and discipline," he added.

"That's why Fifa employs a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to any infringement of these values."

The plan received praise from Interpol and their secretary general was confident that the measures would go a long way to maintaining the integrity of football.

"By funding a long-term corruption prevention training programme to be designed and implemented by Interpol Fifa has taken a significant step towards ensuring the integrity of football worldwide," Ronald Noble said.

The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, reports that Fifa offered Frederick Lord, the director of Interpol’s Anti-Corruption Office, a job in their integrity unit last year only for the world governing body to withdraw in December.