Ukraine and the Czech Republic Strengthen Cooperation in Combating Match-Fixing

The Football Association of the Czech Republic invited representatives of Ukraine to participate in a working meeting dedicated to strengthening bilateral cooperation in the fight against match-fixing and related criminal activities.

The Ukrainian side was represented at the meeting by members of the National Platform of Sports Integrity: Andrii Davydenko, Chair of the Ethics and Fair Play Committee of the Ukrainian Association of Football; Andrii Nekrutov, member of the Ethics and Fair Play Committee of the UAF and expert of the National Platform; as well as Vasyl Tomashchuk, Chief Operational Officer of the Cyber Police Department.

The purpose of the meeting was to enhance coordination between the football institutions of both countries in responding to cases of manipulation of sports competitions. During the discussions, the parties focused on the exchange of information regarding individuals — citizens of Ukraine — involved in the manipulation of football matches and the recruitment of athletes, as well as their possible participation in the organization of related criminal activities.

Particular attention was given to the development of joint measures aimed at documenting, detecting, and preventing such offenses, as well as to the exchange of practical experience in combating match-fixing. The parties also outlined key areas for further bilateral cooperation, taking into account national and international mechanisms for countering the manipulation of sports competitions.

As part of the visit, a separate working meeting was also held with representatives of the law enforcement authorities of the Czech Republic responsible for investigating cases of manipulation of sports competitions. During this meeting, the parties exchanged practical experience in documenting such offenses, and training was provided to the Ukrainian representatives, taking into account Czech approaches and response tools.

The Football Association of the Czech Republic emphasized that the participation of Ukrainian experts is of great importance for achieving the objectives of the meeting and will contribute to further deepening cooperation between institutions in the field of protecting the integrity of football.