“Not enough is being done to mitigate the opportunities for abuse, despite the increasing number of cases and allegations of corruption in the sports industry”. Katie Simmonds, SIGA’s Global COO, statement during the Themis talk “From Yellow Cards to Red Flags: Financial Crime and the World of Football” is to be taken seriously.
In the backdrop of French police raids to the Paris 2024 HQ in a corruption probe, and speaking in a panel with Ennio Bovolenta, former Head of Integrity at FIFA; George Davis, Senior Investigations Analyst, Themis; and Eliza Thompson, Financial Crime Researcher, Themis, Katie Simmonds showcased her expertise on Governance and Financial Integrity.
“Reform is slow and that is why SIGA was created: to push for long overdue reform, to positively harness the pressure from the sponsors, the broadcasters, and governments to influence change. The SIGA Universal Standards on Sport Integrity advocate the most significant changes. We are working with several sports organisations to adopt the standards and go through our independent rating and verification system – SIRVS – to bring about independent scrutiny. This is critical, as to date sports organisations have been left to govern autonomously and, at best, only self-assessment tools exist. We do this through a positive and collaborative tone. We focus on the solutions, and invite all sports organisations to go on a governance journey with us”.
SIGA’s COO explained that “the Universal Standards are based on corporate best practice but have been specifically tailored to the sports industry, to respond to their specific problems and meet their specific challenges.” Being applicable “to all sports, from all countries and of all sizes”, SIGA’s global platform “unites the industry around the principle that better governance equals better business”, Katie added.
Sharing the solutions developed by SIGA, Katie Simmonds explained that the certification levels provided by SIRVS are “in Olympic spirit Bronze, Silver and Gold”. She shared that SIGA “developed a programme that supports the industry get match fit for the rating by providing training on SIRVS”.
“We can also offer an independent gap assessment audit and a corrective action plan prior to going through the certification process. SIRVS is very collaborative and is designed to drive excellence and a culture of accountability. This certification is the game changer that can safeguard the financial investments of sponsors, broadcasters, and governments from reputational damage”, SIGA’s COO said, while informing a “wide variety of sports are going through SIRVS” and “Liga Portugal is the first European football league to go through certification on Good Governance standards”.
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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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