EPOSM – Sporting-related match-fixing: Results for France

Did you know that match-fixing is not always about betting on results or events in or during a match? Also for other reasons matches are ‘fixed’ and results are affected. It may cross paths of every athlete, coaches, board member or referees in competitive sport, on both the amateur and elite level. This phenomenon is called non-betting-related match-fixing or ‘sporting-related match-fixing’ and does not have to be related to betting.

EPOSM :
Sporting-related match-fixing is subject of study in the EPOSM project and collaborative partnership.
EPOSM stands for Evidence-based Prevention Of Sporting-related Match-fixing, and is a partnership between academic and non-academic parties. The EPOSM project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and studies sporting-related match-fixing in different sport disciplines across Europe.
EPOSM conducts applied academic research in collaboration with many national sport organizations and governmental bodies in the following seven countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The project has started in 2020 and takes until 2022. EPOSM stands for “raising knowledge, awareness and moral judgment about sporting-related match-fixing among people involved in sport, by using an evidence-based approach that can inspire others.”
The project aims to:

• Raise awareness about the prevalence of sporting-related match-fixing;

• Stimulate moral judgment regarding the fact that sporting-related match-fixing is wrong, as it threatens the credibility and attractiveness of sport;

• Share and transfer knowledge on sporting-related match-fixing through the organization of a training procedure.
  

Partners :
The project is coordinated by Ghent University, and the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS) is one of the non-academic partners. IRIS was responsible for the data collection and knowledge dissemination in France. Other project partners include Utrecht University, Play Fair Code, Croatian Olympic Committee, Lausanne University, Loughborough University, Panathlon International, International Centre Ethics in Sport (ICES), and Counter Sport Corruption Foundation for Sport Integrity (CSCF). The Council of Europe is an associated partner organization of the EPOSM project.

EPOSM study in France
In France, the project focuses on football, tennis, and handball. In 2020, between April and November, an online survey was conducted among respondents in these three sport disciplines.

Survey results and next steps :
This document shows the first results of the survey among actors involved in football, tennis, and handball in France. On the basis of these results, IRIS will develop concrete action plans for these three sport disciplines. The action plans will serve as roadmaps toward raising knowledge, awareness and moral judgment on sporting-related match-fixing in France and will be implemented during several workshops with relevant actors in French football, tennis, and handball.