There were seven reports of potential betting-related irregularities during the World Cup, according to an international advisory panel. The international network “Group of Copenhagen”, which was founded by the Council of Europe to combat the manipulation of sports competitions, issued seven yellow warnings when monitoring a total of 104 games, according to a press release.
According to the definition, a yellow notice comes into force when initial indications indicate possible irregularities that require further examination. The “Group of Copenhagen” defines two more serious categories in its color system: orange for increased alertness in the event of concrete indications and red for highest alertness in the case of clear or at least very strong evidence. The normal case is rated green. According to the release, no orange or red notices were issued.
FIFA: No evidence of suspicious betting activity
Football’s world governing body FIFA said in a statement last Tuesday that, based on information collected and analyzed throughout the tournament, the FIFA Integrity Working Group found “no suspicious betting activity or evidence of match-fixing in connection with any match.”
Thanks to the close cooperation within the working group, which also included the “Group of Copenhagen,” “potential indications of match-fixing and any measures could have been assessed expertly, coordinated and quickly,” FIFA added.
For the first time, prediction markets are also under the microscope
According to the Group of Copenhagen, expanding the World Cup to 48 teams required “increased surveillance measures.” The focus of the work was on betting markets, odds developments and the removal of betting offers.
For the first time, continuous monitoring of prediction markets was also carried out. In contrast to classic betting offices, the platform only acts as a broker and brings together buyers and sellers with conflicting expectations of an event. “These markets pose new challenges to integrity as they allow users to bet on a wide range of events – often anonymously and using payment methods that are difficult to trace,” said the Group of Copenhagen.