Svenska Spel to educate young footballers on match-fixing

Swedish operator Svenska Spel has joined forces with Swedish Elite Football (SEF), an organisation that represents the 32 clubs in the country’s top two division, to educate footballers about match-fixing at annual youth tournament, the Gothia Cup.

Svenska Spel and SEF will deliver a series of lectures to players about the dangers of match-fixing in football. These educational sessions will primarily be aimed at Swedish teams taking part in the event.

Hosted by Swedish Allsvenskan top-tier club BK Häcken, the annual Gothia Cup features youth teams from around the world, open to players aged between 11 and 18.

Anders Wikström, a former professional footballer who now works with Svenska Spel and Swedish Elite Football to educate players about match-fixing, will deliver the lectures. 

“As a young player you probably have not reflected so much around match fixing; you play football because it’s fun,” Wikström said. “By highlighting the issue early on, we hope to prevent future match fixing.”

In addition to educating younger football players, Svenska Spel and Swedish Elite Football have sent Wikström to all 32 clubs across Allsvenskan and second-tier Superettan to speak about the dangers of match-fixing.

Former England captain Alan Shearer, Italian World Cup winner Andrea Pirlo and Swedish footballing legends Zlatan Ibrahimović and Kim Kallstrom are among the players who have featured in previous editions of the Gothia Cup, since it was first held in 1975.