FIFA says it is stepping up strategies to rid football of corruption and crime.

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, stated this on Wednesday in a statement made available to Peoples Gazette.

Mr. Infantino declared this during the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, where he discussed the various threats militating against the sport and the various moves the body is taking to tackle them.

The FIFA president added saying, “Through the FIFA Forward Programme, we provide each of our 211 member associations worldwide with up to five times more investment than they received before 2016.“

He also pointed out, “But the key difference is that each and every dollar of this investment is tied to specific contracts and external independent audits in each and every country. The new FIFA leaves no room for wrongdoing.”

FIFA has, over the years, faced threats to the integrity of football, such as match manipulation, but the global soccer body admitted that the financial strain caused by the pandemic was its wake-up call for better vigilance to protect those involved in matches against match-fixing.

Mr. Infantino noted that with FIFA’s structure to reform the transfer system, the body was working hard to ensure finance is disbursed fairly and correctly “in compliance with national and international financial regulations, including applicable anti-money laundering laws.”

Therefore, he is certain that FIFA’s ability to fight these malpractices depends on its strong global alliances it creates and builds with regional and international organisations to help bring about the much-needed change.