For the second consecutive year, Liga Portugal partnered with SIGA to host the Football Integrity Forum, held alongside the Thinking Football Summit. This event has quickly established itself as a key platform for addressing pressing challenges in football, gathering top stakeholders to discuss the future of the game and the integrity issues it faces. The second edition of the Forum brought together leading figures from football governance, legal experts, and integrity specialists, all focused on finding innovative ways to protect the sport from emerging threats.
The Forum featured two dynamic panels. The first, moderated by Paul Reidy, journalist at Diario As, featured Joaquim Evangelista, President of the Portuguese Players’ Union, alongside Fernando Veiga Gomes, Partner at Abreu Advogados, and Roberto Fiore, Partner at LP Avvocati. Together, they explored the future of football in Europe, considering how regulatory frameworks, governance practices, and financial models must evolve to ensure the sport remains both competitive and ethically sound.
Their discussion emphasized the importance of strong leadership and robust regulatory measures to address the complex issues of club sustainability, player welfare, and governance.
In the second panel, Julie Gulsev Kassap, Managing Director of SIGA Women, led a timely discussion on sports betting integrity. With insights from Affy Sheikh, Head of Integrity Services at Starlizard, John Millington, Senior Director at EPIC Global Solutions, and SIGA’s Global CEO, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, the panel addressed the rising threat of corruption and match-fixing linked to illegal betting. The conversation highlighted the crucial need for greater international cooperation, real-time data sharing, and advanced technology to monitor and combat betting-related fraud. Panelists also underlined the need for robust preventive measures and education to safeguard both athletes and the integrity of competitions.
A recurring theme of the Forum was the urgent need for football organizations to take responsibility for the integrity of the sport. Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros called on football bodies to adopt SIGA’s Universal Standards on Sport Integrity, which provide a clear roadmap for good governance, financial transparency, and safeguarding against corruption. He emphasized the importance of demonstrating accountability by submitting to the SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS), a mechanism designed to ensure sports organizations meet the highest integrity standards.
As football continues to evolve and face new challenges, the Football Integrity Forum served as a reminder of the importance of proactive, collective action. SIGA’s leadership in promoting sport integrity was on full display, with panelists offering practical solutions to some of the sport’s most significant challenges. By fostering open dialogue, creating universal standards, and offering independent verification, SIGA is leading the charge in building a more ethical and transparent future for football.
Looking ahead, the Forum made it clear that the path to safeguarding football’s future lies in continued collaboration, innovation, and unwavering commitment to integrity. With its comprehensive approach and global reach, SIGA is well-positioned to help the sport navigate the complex landscape of modern challenges while upholding the values that make football a force for good in society.
Watch the opening Session
Panel 1 – The Future of Football in Europe
Panel 2 – Sports Betting Integrity
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ABOUT SIGA
SIGA is the world’s leading organisation for Sport Integrity. We are creating a whole new landscape for the sports industry by delivering independent global rating and certification for world Sport to ensure it is governed and operates under the highest integrity standards: The SIGA Universal Standards.
Funded by our Members, SIGA is a non for profit global independent organisation with one aim: To ensure the sport industry is governed under the highest integrity standards so that the values of sport are protected.
SIGA is the only organisation to bring together sport, governments, academia, international organisations, sponsors, business, rights holders, NGOs and professional services companies, from every region in the world, around a common cause of fostering greater integrity throughout sport.
SIGA is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, as a non for-profit association, and comprises of the following continental subsidiaries: SIGA AMERICA, SIGA EUROPE and SIGA LATIN AMERICA.
For more information on SIGA, including its vision, mission and reform agenda, please refer to the website: www.siga-sport.com and FAQs.
To contact SIGA, please email: comms@siga-sport.com.
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