Sports minister does u-turn and orders match-fixing probe

Sports minister Edith Schippers has reversed her earlier position and agreed after all to hold an investigation into corruption and match-fixing in Dutch sport.


Nos television reported on Monday evening the minister had agreed to the move after consultations with justice minister Ivo Opstelten.
The change of heart has been prompted by an international meeting on corruption in sport in Copenhagen and the recent match-fixing scandal in Italy, Nos says.
The probe will be carried out together with the KNVB football association the NOC*NSF athletics federation and gambling organisations, Schippers said.
Parliament
Labour MPs had called for an investigation following claims by magazine Voetbal International about match-fixing and illegal gambling.
Voetbal International journalists Iwan van Duren and Tom Knipping told radio station BNR they are convinced matches in the Netherlands are being manipulated by international gambling syndicates.
The MPs claim the Netherlands is the only country in Europe where match-fixing is not being researched and point out that a Dutch national known as Paul R is considered a key figure in a German match-fixing scandal.

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