Finnish floorball issues 80 competition bans after widespread betting scandal
A total of 80 fixed-term competition bans have been imposed on players and officials of Finnish floorball, with the length of the bans spanning several months.
The Competition and Disciplinary Committee (KKR) of the Finnish Floorball Federation has made an announcement about the sanctions related to prohibited betting, following an investigation having been carried out over the summer by the Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports (SUEK).
The SUEK received extensive betting data and submitted its report to the federation in the autumn, with the committee concluding its work at the beginning of December.
“Based on the investigations, prohibited betting has been extensive and systematic in floorball,” the announcement reveals, with it also highlighting that the matter is now concluded and sanctions have been imposed.
Another Finnish floorball investigation to take place
“With regard to the Finland–Norway match played at the 2024 World Championships, KKR has requested SUEK to conduct additional investigations concerning five individuals. This supplementary investigation will not be completed during the current year. The Floorball Federation and KKR will provide separate information on this at a later stage.”
During the investigation, men’s top-level floorball hasn’t been available as a Veikkaus betting product which is Finland’s national gaming company, owned by the Finnish state. It will, however, return to the betting list in the near future and monitoring of betting markets and customer behavior will continue to be ongoing and thorough.
The sport of Finnish floorball isn’t the only one to recently undergo betting concerns, as others are dealing with similar issues. In November, two MLB players were charged after allegedly placing fraudulent sports bets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In Turkey, a recent soccer gambling scandal has been bubbling, with a far-reaching investigation having been ordered by the Turkish Football Federation President, with other leagues having faced gambling investigations over the years.
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