‘Don’t fix it!’

This chapter focuses on the vital role of player engagement in the prevention of match fixing. Much of the apparatus that has been put in place by sports in an effort to eradicate match-fixing include strict codes of conduct that will result in players suffering career ending and mandatory bans should they be involved in match-fixing. Sports have been quick to publicise lengthy bans on players to demonstrate a zero tolerance approach. Reporting mechanisms have been created with the edge that any player who fails to utilise them will also face punishment. The consequences of this approach have been tragic, including a number of player suicides in Korea. This overly simplistic and legalistic approach that targets players runs the risk of alienating arguably the most important stakeholder in any successful effort to prevent match-fixing. It is an approach that also fails to draw upon the lessons of key research that demonstrates the strong ethical condemnation almost all professional players have of match-fixing, the correlation that exists between match-fixing and the abuse of player rights, including the non-payment of salaries, the recognition that match-fixing begins not with the players, but corrupting third parties, and the importance of effective whistleblower protections in any anti-corruption effort. This chapter focuses on the prevention of match-fixing from the perspective of the players, arguing that research strongly shows that players should be seen as a key solution to the threat instead of merely being part of the problem. It refers to important player-based research, including the FIFPro Black Book (Eastern Europe) (2012), the FIFPro ‘Don’t fix it!’ questionnaire (2013), the FIFPro Asia FIFPro Buku Hitam (2015) and the ground-breaking 2016 FIFPro Global Employment Report, as well as case studies from Europe and Asia, including Australia and Malaysia.