The FBI has recently teamed up with FIFA, soccer’s governing body, to aid in protecting the World Cup from match-fixing and other potential crime. Concern for potential match-fixing stems from scandals in 2010 and 2011 within national team soccer, which “typically involved corrupting referees of friendly games that were targeted for betting scams by Asian crime syndicates.”
Several referees that were implicated were taken off FIFA’s list of approved international game officials.
US federal investigators met with Interpol and other betting monitoring experts in Zurich to establish an Integrity Task Force. The panel tackled overseeing the “timely handling of integrity matters” when the tournament begins next month, according to FIFA. This year’s World Cup starts November 20 in Qatar.
Integrity Task Force will monitor Qatar’s 64 games, overseeing their “betting markets and in-game action in real time.”
In addition to partnering for this year’s World Cup, FIFA and the FBI have agreed to work together for the next tournament. The US will co-host the 2026 World Cup, along with Canada and Mexico.
FIFA said in a statement that the FBI will function “as the principal law enforcement and investigative service of the United States, joining the group to contribute with its experience and expertise, also in preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2026.”
The collaboration stems from a long history of partnership between FIFA and the FBI. A US federal investigation more than seven years ago that involved a related Swiss case was unsealed, which resulted in the removal of several international soccer officials. Among those removed was Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president at the time. Blatter was later banned for financial misconduct.
As of this July, Blatter was acquitted of wrongdoing in the Swiss federal criminal court.
