Sportradar has signed an extension to its long-term integrity partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The renewed integrity deal runs from 2024 to 2027. This will take the partnership between Sportradar and the AFC, which began in 2013, to 14 years.
Sportradar will continue to work with the AFC on a wide range of integrity matters. This will include a joint effort to tackle issues, such as match-fixing, in Asian football.
In addition, Sportradar said it will utilise new technologies to further improve integrity in Asian football. This will include artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The renewal was agreed last night (11 January), in the eve of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
AFC hails “strategic” evolution of Sportradar relationship
The AFC president, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, welcomed the extended deal. He said the partnership has already helped clamp down on match-fixing in football across Asia.
“For the past 10 years, Sportradar has been a valued, reliable and trusted partner of the AFC and together we have stood tall to combat the scourge of match-fixing in Asia.
“Since 2013, our collaboration has necessarily evolved strategically to consistently safeguard the integrity of football in Asia, while the AFC has forged a stronger relationship with Sportradar in the process,” Shaikh Salman said.
Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl added: “The success of this partnership is a true testament to the power of collaboration and a unified vision to safeguard the integrity of AFC competitions.
“We acknowledge the role of technology in sports and recognise its potential to address these challenges. Our capabilities will evolve by exploring new technological frontiers, including AI and machine learning, to mitigate issues such as corruption in sport.”
