AIPS President urges to ‘fight’ against match fixing and corruption in sports
President of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS-global) has urged local sports journalists across the African Continent to stand up and fight against match fixing and corruption in sports. (Photo: AIPS {global} President Gianni M. Merlo)
The Italian-born Gianni M. Merlo in his remark during the opening session of the 2014 AIPS Africa Congress at the Jardins Savana hotel in Dakar Senegal, on Wednesday 19th March 2014 said match fixing, illegal sports betting and corruption posed the biggest threat to the job of sports journalists across the globe.
“In keeping in line with one of the AIPS’s Mission which is ‘Value of Sports,’ we must ensure we stand up and fight very hard against match fixing and corruption which are the biggest threat to our job as sports journalists,” said Merlo.
He said people posing as ‘agents’ usually come from different crime organizations pretending to assist unsuspecting young athletes only to clandestinely obtain unholy favours from them in return.
He said: “these so-called agents will approach youthful athletes promising them enrollment in universities and providing them with other basic essentials and after two or three years, will come back and ask those athletes to help them the other way round which is to fix matches for their own personal benefits at the detriment of the sports as well as the future of the athletes.”
Gianni M. Merlo added it is only when fans and spectators have confidence in sporting competitions will the job of the sports journalists becomes relevant.
“If sports loses its integrity the sports journalists lose the integrity in our job and if sports falls down then one of the biggest industry in the world falls down and millions will be out of job therefore, it is incumbent on all sports journalists to fight very hard against match fixing, illegal betting and corruption in sports,” the AIPS president warned, adding: “by helping to make sports clean we are helping the new generation and improving on the culture of sports which is fair competition.”
By Frank Cole in Dakar, Senegal
Credit: SWASAL; Sponsor: Mercury Int.’l (SL) Limited.
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