Football Australia is the ruling body of the country’s soccer competitions. Previously known as the Australian Soccer Federation and Football Federation Australia. Supposedly, it is responsible for upholding the integrity of the sport, the compliance with the relevant legislation, and the institution of checks and balances for those that go astray. The duties include the regulation of betting and gambling on the sport, hence, the inclusion of such wagers in the lists of all the top Asian and European bookmakers. However, when the ruling body is itself being investigated, then the whole foundation of the sport comes loose.
2 match fixing scandals in 12 months
This is the reason that the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission decided to launch the suitability investigation. The question to be answered is whether Football Australia is capable and willing to do whatever it takes to regulate the sport properly in Australia.
First came the charges from New South Wales Police against Ulises Davila, Clayton Lewis, and Kearyn Bacchus. These were players of Macarthur FC, and the allegations had to do with the yellow cards that they were receiving. Then, it was Victoria Police that charged Riku Danzaki, player of Western United, for fixing 10 matches through getting yellow cards intentionally. Along with the allegation of secret agreements between Football Australia and bookmakers for a cut out of gambling, it was enough to check what’s really going on.
Football Australia says «welcome»
It appears that before hitting the news, VGCCC let the ruling body know about what they were about to do. The statement they released was quite clear:
“Football Australia welcomes the opportunity to continue to refine our vigilance against integrity threats,” it said. Football Australia subscribes to continual vigilance in our standards to meet this challenge, but it’s something that all Australian and international sports, regulators and government agencies must do together, as this stain isn’t unique to footy players. The job on integrity is never complete as offenders are becoming more and more sophisticated.”
Typically, according to the law about gambling that is in effect in both Victoria and New South Wales, a sports controlling body like Football Australia has the right to collect a part of the revenue generated by gambling in football matches. The question is if that part was exceeded and by how much.
Something is amiss
During this exchange of announcements, there was an issue that has not been clarified. What exactly is the scope of the inquiry? According to Jack Anderson, an expert in law from Melbourne University, it should have to do with the range of allowed markets. As he put it:
“Probably what [the regulator] is doing is saying, yes, we have agreed that Football Australia can allow a range of bets on football. But are some of these bets presenting such a risk that they should be struck off and not offered?”
For the chain that makes up the gambling industry, this question should receive a no, for an answer. Those that open accounts at the best betting platform, expect the widest range of markets and options that there can be. The regulation and control of these markets is not their concern. If there is a risk involved, it’s the job of the ruling bodies to mitigate it.
