FIFA Appoints New Sports Betting Chief

Football world governing body FIFA this week appointed top German police official Ralf Mutschke to become its new Director of Security from June – a position which puts him in charge of sports betting and match-fixing investigations.

Focus is Match-Fixing, Betting Scams

Mutschke wasted no time in tackling the important issues, telling FIFA.com that his main challenge would be to fight match-fixing, betting scams and corruption. He said his security division would need to co-operate closely with security authorities at a domestic and international level in order to achieve this.

As a former INTERPOL director and chief of operation services in the German Federal Criminal Police Office, Mutschke brings with him more than 30 years of experience. He said FIFA’s liaison with INTERPOL would prove successful in fighting match-fixing, as it creates a bridge to the security authorities

Warm Welcome

The European Sports Security Association, the licensed betting industry’s independent integrity authority, welcomed the news of Mutschke’s appointment. ESSA has information sharing agreements with several major international sports governing bodies, including FIFA.

Online sports betting operators will also no doubt warmly welcome the appointment, as any effort made the stamp out match-fixing corruption is good for the industry too. Clean sporting fixtures leads to responsible gambling, which is good for companies and consumers.