India should have sports anti-corruption law: Interpol

NEW DELHI: Match-fixing has not touched Indian football yet, but an Interpol official today said that the authorities of the game should put in place a strong anti-corruption mechanism to prevent the menace from emerging in the country.

John Abbott, INTERPOL's Chair Integrity in Sport Steering Group, said it's better for India to have strong anti-corruption legislation, considering the size of the population and an ambition to become a footballing nation.

"India has a population of more than a billion and there is a strong following of the game. India is also hosting FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017. So, I believe India should put in place a strong anti-corruption mechanism," Abbott said during a workshop 'Tackling Match Fixing and Corruption in Football'.

Talking generally about tackling corruption in sports, Abbott said, "I understand that there is no legislation in this regard in India and the current laws does not allow to tackle this menace effectively.

"I also understand that the Indian government is planning legislation to deal with corruption in sports. It's better you have the law and the necessary mechanism before it becomes difficult to deal with," said Abbott, who is also INTERPOL Project Manager Match Fixing Task Force.

All India Football Federation Senior Vice-President Subrata Dutta said he favoured an anti-corruption unit being set up in the AIFF.

"I will propose in the next AIFF Executive Meeting that an anti-corruption unit should be set up. The popularity of I-League is increasing and we are also hosting FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017. So, the profile of football in increasing and I feel it's right time to put in place an anti-corruption mechanism," he said.