FIFA President Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini Thursday warned that world football chiefs were determined to win the battle against the scourge of match-fixing. Speaking on the opening day of the UEFA Congress in Istanbul, Blatter said FIFA's decision to use an ‘early warning system' which monitors suspicious betting patterns and the involvement of Interpol was proving successful. An unprecedented court case in Turkish football began in February, with 93 people, including the president of first division giants Fenerbahce, accused of rigging games and the club banned from the Champions League by UEFA this season. “The problem is very recent, illegal betting is leading to match-fixing,” said Blatter. “But we have put an alert system in place and we're working with Interpol, the international police, against this scourge which is undermining our sport. “There are other dangers, but this one is really undermining our sport, because the competition is becoming increasingly insecure if we know the result in advance.” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also touched on the issue during his address and pointed out that his country had adopted a law to make match-fixing a criminal offense. Erdogan also urged UEFA to award his country the right to host the 2020 European football championships. Platini also stressed the importance of bringing moral values back onto the football pitch and called for the backing of governments in their fight against a wide range of issues which are undermining the sport. European football clubs, meanwhile, will share 100 million euros ($132m) from profits generated during Euro 2012 and an estimated 150 million euros ($197m) from the 2016 edition, UEFA announced Thursday. Blatter on the other hand promised that football's world governing body will pay to insure players on international duty, in a move expected to satisfy Europe's top clubs. FIFA follows UEFA after strong lobbying by the European Club Association.
