International sports betting integrity body ESSA has praised the European Parliament for passing a motion that calls for a resolution to help promote the adoption of good governance practices in sport in order to protect it from the adverse impacts of corruption and fraud.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) this week agreed the joint motion for a resolution in the wake of recent revelations of alleged corruption at senior levels within Fifa, football’s global governing body.
MEPs have outlined their concerns over the current situation and called for all sport organisations around the word to adopt transparent, accountable and democratic structures.
Highlighting the impact corruption could have on the integrity of sports, MEPs said that “corruption and money laundering are intrinsically linked and a large number of Member States have been affected by match-fixing and other financial crimes often related to criminal organisations operating on an international scale”.
Shortly after the European Parliament gave its approval to the new measure, ESSA chairman Mike O’Kane confirmed his support for the effort, stating that the organisation is committed to combating fraud and issues such as match-fixing.
“ESSA has campaigned for some years on the importance of establishing transparent and accountable governance in sport as a fundamental measure to protect the integrity of sporting events,” O’Kane said.
“Corrupters will continue to prey on sports with poor governance and financial management structures, which is unfortunately widespread within the sector.
“ESSA supports the position of the European Parliament that ‘if not addressed urgently and properly, corruption may continue to undermine trust in sports institutions and threaten the integrity of sport as a whole’ and will also continue to weaken the fight against match-fixers.”
source : www.igamingbusiness.com
