Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, SIGA Co-Founder and Global CEO, has called on UEFA and FIFA to take decisive action by adopting SIGA’s Universal Standards on Sport Integrity – a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen governance, financial integrity, betting integrity, and youth protection across world football.
Delivering the keynote address that opened the Football Integrity Forum 2025, held as part of the Portugal Football Summit organised by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) at Cidade do Futebol, in Oeiras, Portugal, Macedo de Medeiros urged football’s global governing bodies to lead by example and embed integrity at every level of the game:
“Opportunities are created. And if football and Sport know how to safeguard the quality, reputation, and credibility of their product, they will secure an inexhaustible source of sustainable growth”.
The Forum, organised by SIGA, brought together global Sport leaders for an afternoon of debate on financial transparency, combating illegal betting, and women leading the future of football.
The SIGA Universal Standards on Sport Integrity form the cornerstone of the organisation’s reform agenda, covering four key areas:
• Good Governance in Sport
• Financial Integrity and Transparency
• Sport Betting Integrity
• Youth Development and Protection
More than aspirational guidelines, these standards are meant to be implemented. SIGA supports sports organisations worldwide through training, education, and capacity-building to help them progress along their governance journey and become eligible for the SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS) — the world’s first rating system for sport integrity.
During the forum, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros commended the efforts of Liga Portugal, which, under the presidency of Pedro Proença, adopted the SIGA Universal Standards on Good Governance and underwent the SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS), achieving the Bronze Rating – a significant milestone that reflects its commitment to integrity, transparency, and good governance.
Now, as President of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), Pedro Proença has been invited by SIGA to extend this legacy and lead by example once again, by adopting and implementing the Universal Standards at the Federation level.
“Our Universal Standards are not just words on paper; they are a living, breathing guide for collaboration,” said Macedo de Medeiros.
Crafted through extensive research and expert consultation, SIGA Standards align with the best global practices, recognising the diverse landscape of sports organisations worldwide. They embrace existing international benchmarks and evolving practices already implemented by a range of relevant bodies in and around sport.
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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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