FIFA steps up fight against WCup match-fixing

JOHANNESBURG(AP) —FIFA will monitor the World Cup’s most vulnerable games for match-fixing threats.

FIFA legal director Marco Villiger says the final group-stage games are at the highest risk of being fixed, especially those that involve teams which have already qualified for the second round or have been knocked out.

He says the World Cup has been “clean and clear” so far, with no suspicious betting identified. No player, referee or team official has yet called a special hotline to report being approached by fixers.

FIFA regards match-fixing by illegal betting syndicates as the biggest threat to soccer’s integrity. It monitors global betting patterns and is building a network of informers.


http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=txwcupmatchfixing