FIFA signs historic agreement with INTERPOL.

• Author: Blackshaw, Ian
• Position: EDITORIAL

As part of FIFA's plans to clean up the 'beautiful game', and, no doubt, with an eye on his re-election at the FIFA Congress at the beginning of June, which is being opposed, Sepp Blatter, announced on 9 May, 2011 the signature of an historic Cooperation Agreement with INTERPOL, the international policing organisation with members in 188 countries in the world.

This Agreement is designed to rid football, the world's favourite and most lucrative sport, of illegal and irregular betting and match-fixing, and involves a ten-year programme with INTERPOL and a grant of several millions of Euros a year - the first two years of [euro]4m each year and [euro]1.5m for each of the remaining eight years. This grant - the biggest ever single one made by a private institution to INTERPOL - will support the setting up of a dedicated FIFA Anti-Corruption Training Wing within the INTERPOL Global Complex in Singapore. According to INTERPOL, illegal gambling in football will account for hundreds of millions of US$ in Asia alone this year! So, it is a big problem. As Blatter has said: "the threat of match-fixing in sport is a major one, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to tackle this threat. Match-fixing shakes the very foundations of sport, namely fair play, respect and discipline. That's why FIFA employs a zero-tolerance policy." Fighting words indeed!

This development comes against the...