KINGSTON, Jamaica -- As part of the INTERPOL/FIFA training, education and prevention initiative, the first-ever Partnership Development Meeting in the Caribbean took place on Saturday at the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) offices.
The gathering brought together all key stakeholders in the fight against match-fixing with the objective of assisting in the development of a coordinated national approach that protects the integrity of sport.
Regional and international cooperation is viewed as necessary for safeguarding the integrity of the game by establishing the structures for investigating potential threats.
Representatives of FIFA; INTERPOL; CONCACAF; the Caribbean Football Union; the JFF; the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC); the Jamaica Constabulary Force (Police Force); Ministry of Justice; and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions were all in attendance and discussed the new roadmap for a coordinated strategy to create a joint-action plan.
Afterwards, in a released joint statement, a clear message was communicated: “We all have committed today to work together in order to further protect the integrity of sports against the global threat of match manipulation.”
The meeting was the first step in the process with additional ones to follow in the near future.
The JFF recently appointed Robert Finzi-Smith as Single Point Contact of Integrity and will, in coordination with CONCACAF, implement a new prevention and education program for all players and referees.
