Football Association of Malawi (Fam) and some Super League teams have admitted that the integrity of the game is under threat as there is a high risk of match-fixing in modern football.
This comes just days after Fifa launched a comprehensive international programme aimed at providing all 211 member associations with enhanced knowledge and tools to fight and prevent match manipulation.
Fam General Secretary Alfred Gunda said the association was tightening loose ends to ensure that the game was safe.
“We are living in a modern world and match-fixing is one of the challenges. The Fifa programme is significant and we welcome it. We need to safeguard the game,” Gunda said.
The programme has been developed in collaboration with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and it has been designed to improve education and build integrity capacity within all 211 member associations including Malawi.
In a separate interview, Civil Service United General Secretary Ronald Chiwaula welcomed the idea.
“It is a very good programme to ensure that the game is safe considering that Malawi was also involved in match manipulation at one point,” Chiwaula said.
Silver Strikers Chief Executive Officer Thoko Chimbali hailed Fifa for the programme.
“With the coming in of betting in football, there is high potential of match-fixing among players, coaches and referees so this will help to end the malpractice,” Chimbali said.
Former Flames midfielder Hellings Mwakasungula was banned for life from football activities by Fifa for his involvement in match-fixing.
Globally, match manipulation has threatened the future of the game.
In a bid to strengthen the fight against match-fixing, Fifa launched Global Integrity Programme on Wednesday.
During the launch, Fifa President Gianni Infantino, said the programme was aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the game.
“Match-fixing is an issue that is very real and threatens the integrity and credibility of football in many countries around the world. Working in close collaboration with the experts at the UNODC and alongside other ongoing efforts that Fifa is taking, the Fifa Global Integrity Programme is another important step by Fifa to protect the integrity of football and will play an important role in educating and building capacity within member associations to help fight match-fixing at a local level,” Infantino is quoted as saying.
As part of the programme, Fifa is expected to launch the Fifa Integrity Officers Community Platform which will be the first-ever community-driven online platform dedicated exclusively to integrity officers across all member associations.