Match-fixing has grown at an "extraordinary" rate and now infiltrates sports as unlikely as chess and darts, a House of Lords select committee was told on Thursday — a stark reminder that the problem extends well beyond the football pitches where it is most commonly associated.

The International Agreements Committee received testimony as part of its scrutiny of the Macolin Convention, the only international treaty specifically targeting the manipulation of sports competitions. The UK signed the convention back in 2018 but has only recently moved to bring it before parliament for ratification.

The scale of the problem

Dr Madalina Diaconu, a sports integrity specialist who sits on Uefa's control, ethics and disciplinary body and has previously worked for the International Olympic Committee, told the committee that the nature of match-fixing has shifted dramatically over roughly the past 15 years. Where once football, cricket and tennis were considered the most exposed sports — with Asian betting markets seen as the main driver — she argued the threat is now genuinely global and multi-sport.

"Nowadays I would say all sports are concerned," Diaconu said. "We have seen match-fixing scandals in sports that were much less susceptible to this kind of phenomena like darts or chess or skiing, and it is also happening everywhere, not only in Asia or Europe."

Her evidence pointed to a straightforward criminal logic: online betting markets are accessible from anywhere and at any age, making them an efficient vehicle for laundering money derived from drug trafficking and human trafficking. The committee also heard from Lord Boateng, a committee member, that recorded cases of suspicious football matches in Africa have risen by 92% — an alarming figure that illustrates how deregulated or under-resourced markets remain particularly vulnerable.

Moses Swaibu's warning

Perhaps the most striking evidence came from Moses Swaibu, a former Crystal Palace academy player who was jailed in 2013 after being convicted of match-fixing while playing for Bromley. He has since founded Game Changer 360, a sports integrity education company, and delivers workshops for the Football Association — currently compulsory for top-flight academies.

Swaibu argued that enforcement has simply failed to keep up with technology and the rise of prediction markets. "The new match-fixers are in plain sight and law enforcement have not been able to grasp what that advancement looks like," he told the committee. "Match-fixing is getting younger and the solutions are old and outdated. There is much more to be done."

He also flagged a basic awareness gap: athletes across sports do not know what the Macolin Convention is, and there is insufficient use of social media or modern communication to reach younger players who may be targeted by fixers.

Does the convention offer a solution?

Dr Diaconu was cautiously optimistic about the Macolin Convention itself, describing it as having genuine "game-changer" potential if countries implement it properly. Each participating nation is required to establish a national hub — essentially a centralised database — to share intelligence between sports bodies, the betting industry and law enforcement. Effective international cooperation, she stressed, is the critical ingredient that currently remains inconsistent.

The UK's delay in ratifying the convention since signing it in 2018 has attracted criticism, and Thursday's session suggests parliament is now taking the issue more seriously. Whether the legislative and enforcement infrastructure follows is the question that Swaibu and others in the sports integrity field will be watching closely. On the current trajectory, they are not especially confident.

  • The Macolin Convention is the first and only international treaty on sports competition manipulation.
  • The UK signed in 2018 but ratification by parliament has only recently been brought forward.
  • Moses Swaibu was convicted of match-fixing in 2013 and now runs FA-accredited integrity workshops.
  • A 92% rise in suspicious football match cases has been recorded in Africa, according to committee evidence.

Frequently asked

What is the Macolin Convention and why does it matter for UK sport?
The Macolin Convention is the only international treaty specifically designed to combat the manipulation of sports competitions. The UK signed it in 2018 but has only recently moved to ratify it through parliament. Ratification would oblige the UK to set up a national hub sharing intelligence between sports bodies, law enforcement and the betting industry.
Who is Moses Swaibu and what did he tell the House of Lords?
Moses Swaibu is a former Crystal Palace academy player who was jailed in 2013 for match-fixing while at Bromley. He now runs Game Changer 360, a sports integrity education company, and delivers workshops compulsory for Premier League academies. He told the Lords committee that law enforcement has failed to keep up with new technology and that athletes still have very little awareness of the rules around match-fixing.
Which sports are now affected by match-fixing beyond football?
Evidence given to the House of Lords committee indicated that match-fixing has spread to sports including darts, chess and skiing — areas previously considered far less vulnerable. Experts told the committee that all sports are now at risk, driven by the global reach of online betting markets and the involvement of organised crime networks.