The Croatian Football Federation organized a conference on protecting integrity in football matches

"I greet you on behalf of the Croatian Football Federation, on behalf of President Marijan Kustić, who is officially absent, and in my own name. I thank you for attending the Conference on Protecting Integrity in Football Matches in such large numbers. The most important message about this topic was conveyed by the children in the special UEFA video at the beginning of the conference. All negative aspects of Croatian football must be prevented at their inception, and the Croatian Football Federation, in addition to paying great attention to stadium security, is equally dedicated to protecting the integrity of football matches. Through presentations and the participation of all of you, we will contribute to recognizing manipulation and attempting to prevent it at an early stage. Together, we can make a difference", said the Vice President of the Croatian Football Federation, Davor Ivić.

 

"I would like to thank the Croatian Football Federation for initiating this topic and everyone who has responded. In accordance with the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, the Croatian Olympic Committee has begun building a system in sports. Manipulations threaten the purity, integrity, and credibility of sports, so within a short period, we have decided to take three key steps: changing existing regulations to align them with IOC recommendations, educating sports communities, federations, and all stakeholders in sports, and establishing a system for reporting irregularities on the official HOO website. Only through such unity can we achieve success, and I hope we will continue to fight for the purity of sports and against manipulation", said Siniša Krajač, Secretary General of the Croatian Olympic Committee.

"I express my gratitude to the Croatian Football Federation for organizing such an important event. Admittedly, we haven't had too many issues in this area, except for one affair, but even then, in cooperation with the police and judiciary, we showed our readiness to tackle these problems because it truly makes no sense for one such case to undermine trust in institutions. I believe that at this gathering, we will learn a lot and take additional concrete steps. We are witnessing manipulation occurring in many countries, and I believe that through cooperation, we can achieve tangible results on this issue. We must do everything to ensure that this problem does not undermine the foundations of our sport, which must remain clean", emphasized Josip Pavić, State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

 

"This conference addresses an ever-present and complex issue—the protection of the integrity of football matches on one hand and the fight against match-fixing on the other. We can all agree that maintaining integrity is crucial in all areas of life, and sport is no exception. Moreover, in Croatia, sport is an essential part of national identity. In sports, integrity means upholding ethics and values that foster trust within the entire community, including fair play and results that are achieved without the influence of prohibited substances or external manipulation. In one word, playing by the rules.

Challenges such as the use of performance-enhancing supplements, doping, or match-fixing all pose significant threats, but one thing is certain: for sport to maintain its integrity, individuals and organizations must uphold their own integrity. In recent years, we have seen growing manipulation in sports, including illegal betting used as a tool for profit-making and organized crime. In this sense, match-fixing represents a deliberate agreement leading to an unfair alteration of results, aimed at gaining an undue advantage and financial benefit for oneself or others, considering the vast amounts of money involved in sports.

Match-fixing is not just a violation of competition rules; such actions constitute criminal offenses against official duty. In fact, match-fixing is often associated with crimes such as bribery—either giving or receiving bribes—which are typically committed within the framework of organized crime groups. Just as top sports results are achieved through teamwork, so too must we combat crime together and safeguard integrity through collective efforts", said Nikola Milina, Chief of Police of the Ministry of the Interior.

"It is my great pleasure and pride to welcome you on behalf of the Croatian Football Federation, President Marijan Kustić, General Secretary Tomislav Svetina, and the members of the Executive Committee. As the Croatian Football Federation, we take pride in the fact that football is the most popular sport in the world. We oversee 1,800 clubs and 140,000 players, 70% of whom are under the age of 19, and over 3,000 football matches are played every weekend. This reflects the social significance and widespread appeal of the sport.

In this context, I would like to mention Monday, July 16, 2018, when our national team returned home with the silver medal from the World Cup in Russia. In Zagreb, 700,000 people gathered from the airport to Ban Jelačić Square, and the overwhelming euphoria was summed up in the media with these words: ‘Social optimism has returned to Croatia.’ This is something of lasting value, something we must all carry in our hearts and pass on to future generations.

Football is not just a matter of life and death—it is even more than that. In conclusion, let us never tire of helping our homeland, Croatian sports, and, of course, football”, emphasized Zorislav Srebrić, Senior Advisor to the President of the Croatian Football Federation.

 

During the conference, Darko Kolesarić, the Integrity Officer of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), delivered an engaging presentation on match-fixing prevention. Slobodan Čalić, Head of the Inspection Supervision Service at the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, gave a lecture on the role of the state in implementing the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions.

Matea Horvat, Coordinator of the Secretariat Office at the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO), presented on the activation of national Olympic Committees in preventing competition manipulation. Bojan Mijatović, Development Director of EMCA, delivered a lecture on preserving sports integrity, while Marko Stokuća, Product Manager at SuperSport, spoke about protecting sports integrity within the betting industry. Additionally, Mate Vrdoljak, Head of Odds Analysis at Prva Sportska Kladionica, shared his experiences and best practices from daily operations.

The Conference on the Protection of Integrity in Football Matches was funded by UEFA and organized by the Croatian Football Federation’s Department for Prevention, Security, and Integrity, led by Jurica Jurjević, with expert contributions from Security and Integrity Commissioner Miroslav Marković and Integrity Officer Darko Kolesarić.

 

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