FIFPro report shows over 40 percent of footballers in Russia aware of match-fixing

A survey by FIFPro, the worldwide union for professional footballers, shows that almost a quarter of European players (23.6%) are aware of match-fixing in their league, the BBC reports.

According to the report, in which over 1000 footballers across Europe were questioned on such issues as match-fixing, racism and violence in football, around 11.9% of footballers have been approached to consider fixing the result of a game, with figures reaching 30,3% in Greece. Russia heads the list of countries where match-fixing is rife – over 43,5% of Russian footballers are aware of such activity.

The research found a clear link between non-payment of player salaries and match-fixing, with as many as 41.1% of players reporting irregularities in payments of salary and over a half of those admitting to having been approached to consider fixing a match.

9.6% of respondents in the Black Book survey also encountered examples of racism or other forms of discrimination, mainly caused by supporters (65.3%).

Finally, every ninth player had been a victim of a violent act (11.7%), either by fans (55.8%), club management (13.3%) or even the club’s coach (8.3%).