As previously reported, Handbollskanalen distributed a survey to all players and leaders in Swedish premier leagues SHE and Handbollsligan, and one of the results was that every fourth Swedish elite player knows at least one fixed match. Handbollskanalen has now been in contact with the Swedish Handball Association’s (SHF)’s integrity officer, Adam Engström, who comments on the survey results.
– I think that the results of the survey correspond fairly well with the view of SHF, says Engström.
There were several interesting and astonishing results of the survey that Handbollskanalen sent out to the elite associations’ representatives. Among other things, 1 in 4 answered that they knew of a fixed match, 1 in 10 that they themselves had played in a match that they suspected was fixed, and 1 in 3 that they themselves had bet on one of their own matches or knew someone who had done so.
Handbollskanalen therefore contacted Adam Engström, integrity officer at SHF, to comment on the various questionnaire responses.
How do the results of the survey correspond with SHF’s own measurements and observations?
”I think that the results of the survey correspond fairly well with the view of SHF. It is not a big problem with match-fixing in our sport, that is the picture that emerges,” says Adam Engström to Handbollskanalen.
The question of player education is a big thing and the fact that 1 in 10 say that they have betted on their own match and significantly more people know of others who have done so may indicate that the education has not been sufficient.
”I would say that this may reflect the last two years of the pandemic, where the clubs’ player squads have been renewed. During these two years, training and follow-up have not been carried out in the same way as before. Then the elite clubs have their own responsibility to train and educate their teams. But even if it has its natural explanations, the figure is insanely high.”
Is it an attitude or cultural problem?
”It is of course not acceptable that elite players do not know our regulations. The elite players should definitely know better and from SHF’s side we need to improve at ensuring that the clubs are aware of the regulations and that their players know what is allowed.”
What can you do about it?
”We can not demand that the players know all the competition rules or that they have knowledge of specific sections and paragraphs, but we can demand that the elite clubs do so. Where common sense does not prevail, the association must ensure that players understand what is allowed according to our rules and clauses. That’s the only way I think.
”It also shows that our work with ATG (i.e., the sponsoring betting company, Handbollskanalen’s comment) and the match-fixing education will be a fresh start where we will close the knowledge gap.”
That players have been contacted by someone who wanted them to help fix a match is of course a problem.
”Of course, it is not good and we naturally want the players to report it if that is the case. That six or seven people have been contacted is of course six or seven people too many. We can not control or hinder that they are contacted, but that it has not led to six or seven reports is not good. They may have reported to the clubs and in that case, the clubs should take the matter further. We of course want to know if this kind of thing happens.
”Then it would have been interesting to see what kind of fixing it involves. Is it about winning, losing, or winning/losing with a certain number of goals (betting against the spread, Handbollskanalen’s explanation)? It’s tricky. But I still want to emphasize that if six or seven people have been contacted in this way, we would have liked to have six or seven cases reported to us,” says Adam Engström and concludes,
”We want to meet the problem that exists with knowledge and information.”
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READ MORE: Match-fixing, part 8: Sportradar explains: ”Since the pandemic, match-fixing has exploded”
READ MORE: Match-fixing, part 9: The survey – one in every four Swedish elite players knows of a fixed match
READ MORE: Match-fixing, part 10: EHF starts match-fixing training for referees and delegates