January 6 2019: In December 2018, the UK Government strengthened its commitment to tackling match-fixing in sport by signing the Macolin Convention.

The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions – more commonly known as the Macolin Convention – aims to prevent, detect and punish match fixing.

It was signed by the UK Minister for Sports and Civil Society Mims Davies with Gabriella Battaini Dragoni, Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General.

The Convention is the only treaty dedicated to fighting the manipulation of sports competitions.

Sports Minister Mims Davies said:

‘Match-fixing is a real threat to the integrity of sport. It is a crime that robs spectators of the pleasure of watching a contest that they can trust.

‘While I’m confident that we have a robust system in place to prevent match-fixing, we cannot be complacent. It is a cross-border issue, and only through a coordinated international effort can we mitigate the risks.’

Deputy Secretary General Gabriella Battaini Dragoni said:

‘I warmly welcome today the United Kingdom’s signature of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions. This treaty is the only international legally-binding instrument against match-fixing, illegal betting, bad governance, insider information, conflicts of interests and the use of clubs as shell companies. This is a clear commitment by the United Kingdom to secure integrity in sport through our convention.’

During the signing, the Minister welcomed the leadership shown by the Council of Europe in developing this Convention and highlighted the work of the Gambling Commission and the Sports Betting Integrity Forum in combating match-fixing in the UK.

The Convention encourages sports organisations and competition organisers to put appropriate measures in place such as adopting principles of good governance and educating athletes.