In 2020, a total of 61,296 matches were surveyed, which experienced a reduction compared to the previous year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Out of these matches, 217 (0.35%) were suspected to be suspicious, showing a decrease from 0.56% in the previous year’s report. This continued the trend of declining suspicious matches, as 0.73% of matches were flagged in 2018.
Within the suspicious matches, 42% came from the top division of domestic football in the respective country. Stats Perform, during the past year, formed data partnerships with leagues such as Holland’s Eredivisie and England’s Women’s Super League to enhance their efforts in monitoring and maintaining integrity in football.
An interesting observation is that the second-highest level of domestic football accounted for 36% of suspicious matches. However, friendly matches remained more likely to attract suspicious activity, with 1.19% of analyzed friendlies deemed suspicious, an increase from 0.67% in the previous year’s report.
In women’s football, out of the 3,700 matches analyzed, only one match was considered suspicious. These findings highlight the importance of continued vigilance against match-fixing within the sport.
Stats Perform’s global head of integrity, Jake Marsh, acknowledged the challenges faced by football due to the pandemic but emphasized the need to equip those protecting the sport adequately. Similarly, Affy Sheikh, head of integrity at Starlizard, expressed concern over the identification of over 200 suspicious games that require further investigation, indicating the evolving methods used by criminals in manipulating matches and betting markets.
The report presents figures resulting from in-depth analysis of key betting markets on football matches across 112 countries and six continents, for domestic and international competitions.
The message echoed by both Marsh and Sheikh emphasizes the importance of vigilance and adequate resources to maintain a clean, corruption-free sport for football fans to enjoy.
