New Delhi: In an apparent bid to combat corruption and match-fixing in sports, the CBI is all set to form a specialised unit to handle cases related to sports fraud and illegal betting.
Christened the Sports Frauds Investigation Unit (SFIU), it will function under the aegis of the Special Crime Branch of the CBI. While making this announcement at the Fifa-Interpol national workshop here on Wednesday, CBI director Ranjit Sinha, said, “We in the CBI have taken due notice of growing menace of corruption in sports in general and challenges in football and other sports in particular.
We will soon set up a sports fraud investigation unit in the CBI under the special crime branch to combat corruption in sports.”
“The unit will coordinate with other law enforcement agencies of the world and also liaise with sports federations and state police forces to build capabilities to tackle match-fixing and other corrupt practices in sports.
The CBI will closely liaise and coordinate with the department of sports, ministry of youth affairs and sports to help frame policies that would build deterrence in the system,” said the CBI director in his address.
He said the department of sports is in the process to finalise a bill to criminalise sport frauds which will help to provide much needed teeth to various agencies to take stringent action and will stand legal scrutiny.
“The agency would act as resource base and help other agencies in training and education regarding the menace of corruption in sports. Corruption in sports are financed and managed to a very large extent by the betting industry, both legal and illegal, with close links with world-wide crime syndicates,” said Mr Sinha.
Speaking on the occasion, Subrata Dutta, senior vice president, All India Football Federation, announced that in the coming executive committee meeting, he would propose setting up of an anti-corruption unit in the football house to work in tandem with Interpol and CBI.
