New rules for sports betting in Colombia
Football’s governing body Dimayor declared that players have been banned from sports betting in Colombia, in order to protect sports integrity.
Colombia.- Sports betting are tied to potential match-fixing, the top concern in the segment. That’s why, in order to prevent it, Dimayor (football’s governing body) banned football players from betting on sports in Colombia.
“We won’t let Colombian football fall in match-fixing scandals. That’s why we hired a company to oversee, study and detect anomalies. We’ve also signed an agreement with the General Attorney yo investigate potential cases. Furthermore, football players have been banned from sports betting in Colombia,” said Dimayor president Jorge Vélez.
In order to comply with the measure, clubs will have to include a specific clause in professional contracts.
Moreover, even as they can’t specifically control them, footballer’s family members have also been included in the ban.
“Players must know that it’s not right, but it’s hard to ban family members,” Vélez said.
Football integrity
The Colombian Football Major Division (Dimayor) presented its Integrity Program for Colombian football earlier this month. The program has already received support from the Colombian Football Federation.
In addition, it complies with the guidelines established by CONMEBOL and FIFA, and will be applied in Colombian professional football competitions.
About the Integrity Program
The Integrity Program will also be promoted by Spain’s LaLiga. Dimayor plans a series of training sessions on August 20 and 21, in which LaLiga will participate. The training targets club presidents, legal advisors, managers, management and administrative staff, and to members of sports teams located in Bogotá. The director of integrity of LaLiga, José Ignacio Arbea Sarasa, will lead the activities.
In addition, the new Integrity Program will be supported by FIFA through the FCF. They will hold two working days on August 28 and 29. Finally, President Jorge Enrique Vélez will attend a panel on sports integrity, which will take place at the Grand Hyatt on August 22 at 8:30 a.m.
