Prevention of match-fixing in professional football

For many years, the DFL has been campaigning for the prevention of match-fixing and gambling addiction in professional football, informing about the risks and developing specific preventative measures.

In 2012, the DFL and DFB bundled their preventative measures when they launched the ‘Together against match-fixing – don’t fix the game’ project. The project informs players, trainers, officials and referees about the underlying causes, mechanisms and consequences of match-fixing and manipulation in betting and educates them about the risks of gambling addiction.

The measures of German organised football, brought together under the heading ‘Together against match-fixing’, are based on four pillars:

  • Rules and regulations

    The DFL and DFB have added regulations to their rules (e.g. Legal Code and Rules of Procedure of the German Football Association), sample employment contracts for licensed and contract players as well as contracts for junior players. They provide a regulatory foundation for combating match-fixing.

    According to the DFL Licensing Regulations, all 36 clubs of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 are obliged to demonstrate the annual performance of appropriate measures to prevent match-fixing in their professional teams and youth academies (U16 to U23).

    The players are also obliged, for example, to come forward immediately and unasked if someone offers them money or other advantages in exchange for fixing a match of their or any other club.

  • Training and information program

    The performance of preventative measures to be demonstrated includes yearly participation in a training program, which for professional squads is generally hosted at the clubs as a face-to-face workshop. An e-learning tutorial has been developed for the professional squads and academies as a complementary training measure.

    Information on the prevention of match-fixing and gambling addiction is also available on the “Together against match-fixing – don’t fix the game” project website and via the “DFL Integrity App”. The app can also be used to report irregularities and suspicions directly to the ombudsman.

    Detailed information on dealing with the dangers of gambling addiction is also available at https://www.bzga.de and https://www.check-dein-spiel.de/ (website in German).

  • The ombudsperson

    Since 2011, lawyer Dr Carsten Thiel von Herff has been the DFL’s and DFB’s shared ombudsperson and point of contact for players, trainers, coaches, club employees and referees and, since the 2020-21 season, also for players in the Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship. He takes confidential tip-offs about possible match fixing or other irregularities.

  • Monitoring

    Another element among the preventative measures is the comprehensive, systematic and continuous monitoring of the global betting market in order to detect, document and track potential manipulation relating to sports betting.

Measures at national and international level

The initiation of the ‘Together against match-fixing – don’t fix the game’ project by the DFL and DFB was supported at the national level by Transparency International Deutschland e.V. and the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA). The DFL is in regular contact with experts from the worlds of science and research to discuss the content of measures designed to prevent match-fixing.

FIFA and UEFA also take preventative measures. For example, UEFA has had a network of integration offices in its member countries since 2010.

Consideration of the VBL Club Championship from the 2020-21 season

To further strengthen the integrity of competition in the Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship (VBL CC) and to raise awareness among the players and clubs taking part, the DFL has expanded its commitment to tackling match-fixing and measures aimed at preventing gambling addiction to the VBL CC as well from the 2020-21 season. A training programme has been developed for the players in the VBL CC and extensive rules and regulations have been incorporated in the tournament rules of the VBL CC. In addition, the ombudsperson was appointed as a point of contact for players in the VBL CC.

The ‘Together against match-fixing’ project site provides further information on the topic, details for points of contact as well as the opportunity to report suspected cases directly:

The Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) offers assistance, education, points of contact and further information about how to deal with gambling addiction on the following websites: https://www.bzga.de/ and https://www.check-dein-spiel.de/

You can also call the BZgA’s free advisory hotline anonymously and around the clock on 0800 – 1 37 27 00.