Brazil's CBF renews fraud detection deal with Sportradar
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has extended its exclusive partnership with Sportradar Integrity & Regulatory Services in a continued effort to protect the integrity of domestic football. The renewed agreement, which takes effect from the 2025 season, will see Sportradar’s Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS) monitoring more than 8,200 matches each year across Brazil’s men’s and women’s competitions.
The announcement comes as Brazil reports a significant drop in suspicious football activity. According to Global Analysis & Trends report, the number of potentially manipulated matches worldwide fell by 17 percent in 2024.
In Brazil, the decline was even more prominent, with a 48 percent reduction in suspicious matches compared to the previous year. The number fell from 110 in 2023 to 57 in 2024. Of these, only four were under CBF’s jurisdiction, amounting to just 0.18 percent of all matches it oversaw.
CBF hails the update
CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues welcomed the renewal, emphasising that fairness and transparency in football remain key priorities. “Integrity is central to our mission,” he said, adding that the partnership has already shown positive results since its inception in 2018.
Founded in 1914, the CBF is the governing body for football in Brazil, responsible for national teams and domestic competitions. While international efforts to tackle match-fixing have increased in recent years, the issue continues to pose challenges across the sporting world. The extension of its agreement with Sportradar reflects the CBF’s response to ongoing concerns about the integrity of the game.
Sportradar’s UFDS is widely used by football bodies globally. It tracks betting markets to identify irregular patterns that may suggest match manipulation. The system, which has been in Brazil since 2018, combines data analysis with expert oversight. Alongside monitoring, Sportradar has supported integrity training for clubs, players, and officials.
Sustained fight against match-fixing
In Brazil, state federations such as those in Alagoas and Minas Gerais have conducted match-fixing education sessions and worked with law enforcement to exchange information on potential cases.
Despite recent improvements, Sportradar’s Executive Vice President Andreas Krannich warned against complacency. “The decline in suspicious matches is encouraging, but manipulation remains a threat. This new agreement gives Brazilian football its most comprehensive integrity coverage to date,” he said.
Sportradar also holds similar integrity agreements with other central football authorities, including FIFA, UEFA, and CONMEBOL. Its continued role in Brazil will complement FIFA’s existing monitoring, with more than 10,000 domestic matches expected to be covered in the upcoming season.
