The fight against match fixing received a huge boost earlier this month following the decision by the South African government to set up an independent judicial commission of inquiry to investigate games overseen by its national soccer body ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
According to soccer world governing body Fifa, the judicial investigation will be limited to matters pertaining to the case of abnormalities in friendly matches hosted by the South African Football Association (Safa).
Fifa will be represented at the inquiry by ethics committee independent chairman Michael J Garcia.
“This long-standing open case is harming South African football,” said Fifa secretary general Jérôme Valcke, following the agreement made at a meeting between the South African government and Fifa representatives in Zurich.
“At the same time,” he added, “it is critical that structures are set-up in order to tackle similar cases should they happen in the future.”
Valcke said he was “very pleased by the commitment of the South African government and also Safa to make sure this matter is now dealt with as a highest priority. Fifa will provide any advice and support possible both at investigatory and disciplinary level.”
Safa president Kirsten Nematandani welcomed the decision, describing the meeting as “very fruitful”, while South African sports minister Fikile Mbalula called the move a “major step” in cleaning up the image of soccer in the country.
“The rise of match manipulation globally has become one of the most pressing issues facing football today,” said Mblalula. “I understand fully that Fifa needs strong action from associations like Safa to tackle this problem. Therefore it is vitally important that national authorities such as ourselves play a full role.
“I firmly believe today’s meeting is a major step in bringing to a close an episode that has damaged South African football. We have made a pledge to Fifa today that we will support them and Safa to bring this to an end.”
