Gibraltar Football Association hosts Sportradar integrity workshops

Attended by players from all 13 clubs participating in the 2019/20 Gibraltar National League as well as all match officials and those representing the national side, multi-language integrity workshops were conducted in both English and Spanish across two days.

These workshops featured interactive learning and real-life situations to highlight the potential risks and consequences of being involved in match-fixing, as well as identifying the motivations of match-fixers and their methods of recruiting targets. Underpinned by a focus on prevention, players were informed of relevant rules and regulations, and best practises to help adhere to them, to ensure they are ready and prepared to uphold their responsibilities to integrity.

Andrew Whittingham, Head of Education for Integrity Services, who delivered workshops for English-speaking players said: “It is great to see the commitment shown by the GFA to integrity education, and this was reinforced through the engagement of their players in these workshops. We are proud to be working alongside the GFA in putting the best infrastructure in place to help safeguard football in Gibraltar, and educational messages around integrity and match-fixing are key to that.”

The decision to offer workshops in English and Spanish – with native speakers – was one made to ensure equal access for non-English speakers and improve engagement among players. Speaking about that choice, he added “I think the players really appreciated the decision we made alongside the GFA to make both Spanish and English options available.

“This aligned with our approach to education, which is not just focused on delivering key messages, but about starting conversations around integrity issues with the players, and hearing their thoughts about the topics raised. This multi-language approach helped to put the players in a space where they felt most comfortable, and start these important conversations about integrity, which are key to the success of the educational programme.”

Speaking about the workshops, GFA General Secretary Dennis Beiso said: “I am very pleased to be able to hold this two-day workshop with the support of Sportradar and with the mandatory participation of all our registered clubs, players, coaches and officials. The GFA is fully committed to the war against match-fixing and we will continue to tackle integrity issues with the seriousness they deserve.

“The blanket ban on betting on the game of football will remain in place and we will sanction any breaches of these regulations with the utmost severity. We want our game to remain clean and in its purest state on and off the field of play, and we will undertake any necessary measures to ensure this is always the case.”