Spanish police, footballers' union sign agreement to combat match-fixing

MADRID, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish National Police force and the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) on Wednesday signed an agreement to combat match-fixing and illegal betting on matches.

The agreement comes two months after a wide-scale match-fixing scandal in the third and fourth tiers of the Spanish game (Segunda B and Tercera Division) was uncovered in an operation called 'Pizarro' which led to over 30 arrests.

Pizarro discovered an network led by two former footballers who paid money to several low paid players in those categories for them to fix matches under the orders of illegal betting networks based in Asia.

Wednesday's agreement promises a "fluid exchange of information" and for the AFE to inform of any actions which could be related to corruption in the world of football.

Meanwhile, players and clubs will receive courses from both the police and AFE to prevent the manipulation of matches, as well as combatting racism, xenophobia, homophobia and violence in the sport. Enditem