Starlizard Integrity Services Identifies 167 Suspicious Football Matches in 2023

Author:

Patricia Bell

|Published: March 19th, 2024

According to a new report, sports integrity specialists Starlizard Integrity Services (SIS) have flagged 167 football matches played worldwide in 2023 as suspicious.

In an extensive study encompassing over 65,000 football matches, SIS discovered that 167 matches, representing 0.26% of the total, exhibited potential manipulation indicators.

This marks a 16% increase from the 144 matches identified in 2022, although the percentage of suspicious matches decreased from 0.39% to 0.26% due to the higher volume of matches analyzed in 2023.

Key Findings from the SIS 2023 Report:

41.3% of the suspicious matches occurred in the UEFA (European) region, accounting for 0.18% of all matches analyzed.
The AFC (Asian) region had the highest regional percentage of suspicious matches at 0.47%, with 0.52% of international matches flagged.
Domestic leagues below the top tiers accounted for nearly half (49.7%) of the suspicious matches, while top-level leagues had 25.2%.
Club-friendly and youth matches, representing just 2.9% and 3.5% of all games analyzed, had disproportionately high risks, accounting for 10.8% and 6% of suspicious matches, respectively.
Suspicious betting activity notably increased in First-Half Only markets, with 27% of suspicious matches involving such bets, up from 4.2% in 2022.

Matches deemed "suspicious" by SIS exhibit suspect betting patterns suggestive of match-fixing, warranting further investigation.

Affy Sheikh, Head of Starlizard Integrity Services, stated, "Our expanded data collection, analyzing over 65,000 football matches in 2023, sheds light on the prevalence of suspected match-fixing.

"Unfortunately, our findings underscore a persistent threat to football integrity, with 167 matches flagged as suspicious. Despite our stringent criteria, the rise in suspicious First-Half Only betting and the prevalence of club friendly and youth matches are concerning trends."

The full report is available for download at www.starlizardintegrity.com.