The Swiss company Sportradar reported earlier in January a significant decrease in the number of suspected match-fixing cases in Europe and Sweden. Swedish Professional Football Leagues has been working for many years to continuously educate and raise awareness among elite club players and leaders on the issue, which is considered one of the contributing factors to this decline.
“We have had extremely few suspected cases since the pandemic, especially in the two highest divisions. This shows that we are doing quite a lot of things right”, says Anders Wikström, Head of Integrity at Swedish Professional Football Leagues.
Match-fixing in European football has decreased by 18% compared to 2023. Sweden had three suspected cases of a lower degree during the 2024 season—also an improvement compared to the previous season.
“There are many reasons behind these improved numbers, and many involved parties have all done their part. Above all, increased information sharing between different actors has proven to be very successful in the fight against match-fixing. Of course, there is a risk that perpetrators have become more skilled at hiding suspicious matches, which is why we can never say that the threat is gone. But a clearly downward trend, with the same or even more effective measurement techniques, still indicates that the work done by us and many others is making a difference”.
Each year, Swedish Professional Football Leagues meets with the clubs to discuss values, anti-match-fixing, mental health, and responsible gambling/addiction. These training sessions are a central part of the effort to protect Swedish elite football from unethical and illegal activities related to the betting market. An important partner in this work is Unibet, which has had a close collaboration with Swedish Professional Football Leagues for several years to ensure responsible gambling and a football environment free from match-fixing.
As part of the collaboration between Swedish Professional Football Leagues and Unibet, all clubs in Allsvenskan and Superettan have had an Integrity Officer since 2020. This key role safeguards the integrity of elite football concerning responsible gambling and match-fixing. The Integrity Officers serve as a natural link between the club, players, and league on these issues and receive continuous training for their role through Swedish Professional Football Leagues.
“The goal of these training sessions is to provide a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and rules surrounding match-fixing, but part of it is also about how individuals can set boundaries for their own gambling. All players and leaders undergo training before each season, and during the summer months, we also include new signings. No one should be able to say they are unaware of this”, says Anders Wikström.
The Swedish initiative has proven successful and has even gained recognition abroad. In 2024, the Icelandic league federation purchased the training package and will implement the education in their top leagues, for both men and women, ahead of the 2025 season.
