Match-fixing in football – the Indonesian experience and response
Match fixing is an example of match manipulation which involves removing the uncertainty of the outcomes of a match. Match fixing usually has one of two purposes. First, it may be for the team to survive relegation or achieve promotion, or secondly for a betting outcome. The purpose of this study was to investigate the issue of match-fixing in the world of Indonesian football and the actions taken by the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) to cope with this problem. The research method was qualitative and drew on data obtained from semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of informants. The study informants had experiences as former players, club managers, and member(s) of the PSSI disciplinary committee. The results highlight some of the known examples of match fixing in Indonesian football, their handling and the reasons behind them. To counter match fixing in Indonesian football, PSSI formed an Anti- Mafia Task Force and collaborated with Genius Sports an international technology company which monitors data on sporting events as a part of its global sports integrity programme.