Former footballer to give evidence on tackling match-fixing in sport

The House of Lords International Agreements Committee will tomorrow hear evidence from Moses Swaibu, a former professional footballer who was convicted in 2015 for involvement in a  matchfixing conspiracy and sentenced to 16 months in prison. He is now one of the UK's leading voices in sport integrity education and reform. 

The session forms part of the Committee's scrutiny of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (the Macolin Convention). 

The Convention establishes an international framework to prevent, detect and sanction the manipulation of sports competitions, including match-fixing and related corruption. It is the first and only international treaty on the manipulation of sports competitions. The UK signed the Convention in 2018 but has only recently brought it forward for formal ratification and entry into force.  

The session will take place at 11am on Thursday 9 July and can be watched live on Parliament TV. 

Giving evidence will be: 

• Moses Swaibu, former footballer; Founder and CEO, GameChanger 360  

• Madalina Diaconu, Associate Professor, University of Neuchâtel (attending virtually) 

Questions the committee is likely to ask include: 

• [To Moses Swaibu] Could you briefly describe your experience of match-fixing and the broader systems behind it, both as a footballer and since? 

• Is the problem of manipulating sports competitions getting worse, or changing in nature? Which sports, markets, or aspects of competitions are most at risk? 

• How significant is cross-border activity and organised crime in fuelling the manipulation of sports competitions, and is international cooperation required to tackle this? 

• Do the problems principally lie with sports organisations, athletes and officials, or the sports betting industry? 

• What value does UK ratification of the Macolin Convention add in tackling the manipulation of sports competitions? 

• Are there any areas where the Macolin Convention falls short, either in its legal framework or in how it is likely to operate in practice? 

• Does the UK have the right policy, regulatory and enforcement structures in place to effectively implement the Convention? 

• What new measures could the UK Government take, either through the Convention or domestic policy and law, that would help prevent and tackle manipulation of sports competitions?