Zurich: FIFA reported on Friday that its working group on integrity did not detect any manipulation in any of the 64 matches played at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 which ended with the 4-2 penalty shootout victory of Argentina over France after a 3-3 draw in regulation and extra time.
The FIFA integrity group had the mission of supervising and monitoring all matches of Qatar 2022.
According to a report posted on FIFA's website on Friday, the multi-stakeholder Integrity Task Force established by FIFA to monitor all matches played during the FIFA World Cup 2022 for match-manipulation incidents and integrity-related issues successfully completed its work on December 22, 2022, and no cases were identified.
"As part of its work, the Task Force analysed monitoring reports of legal betting markets, conducted multi-jurisdictional inquiries, and reviewed surveillance of competition venues for any suspicious behaviour. No match manipulation threats to any game that was played during the tournament were detected," the report added.
The composition of the task force ensured an experienced, coordinated and timely response to any alert of possible match-manipulation incidents and integrity-related issues throughout the FIFA World Cup.
"Looking forward, FIFA will continue to work with the members of the Integrity Task Force with a view to protecting future FIFA tournaments, starting with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. It will also continue to develop its integrity strategies with confederations, member associations and other integrity stakeholders in the fight against match manipulation," FIFA said.
The inaugural meeting of the FIFA Integrity Task Force was held on October 13, 2022, in Zurich.
The committee comprised representatives of several organisations including the Qatar Safety & Security Operations Committee, the Council of Europe and its Group of Copenhagen, INTERPOL, the Global Lottery Monitoring System, Sportradar and the International Betting Integrity Association.
Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation as the principal law enforcement and investigative service of the United States joined the group to contribute with its experience and expertise, also in preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Furthermore, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, with whom FIFA signed a landmark cooperation agreement in 2020, also was part of the group.
Source: FIFA.com
