No evidence of World Cup match-fixing

Newsroom
18 June 2010

Fifa has found no indications so far of match-fixing in the World Cup tournament.

The football body’s legal affairs director Marco Villiger said in Johannesburg that teams would, however, require closer monitoring for what he described as “betting Mafia” activity in the next week.

Teams are battling to survive the first round and not to be sent home.

Fifa has created an intelligence-gathering and monitoring subsidiary company called Early Warning System.

On the field, Group D has been left wide open for Ghana after Serbia scored an upset 1-0 victory over favourites and three-times champions Germany at Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Milan Jovanovic scored one minute after German striker Miroslav Klose was sent off with a red card. Spanish referee Alberto Undiano handed out nine yellow cards, the most so far in any game at this year's tournament.

Germany, Serbia and Ghana now all have three points in the group, but Ghana has a game in hand tomorrow in Rustenburg against Australia, who haven’t managed to collect any points.