Danes to crack down on match-fixing

Copenhagen - The Danish Football Association (DBU) has called on the country's government to set up a special court and increase resources to investigators to deal with match-fixing and other forms of corruption in sport.

Culture minister Marianne Jelved presented a bill to the Danish parliament last week that would criminalise corruption in sport and make the fight against match-fixing a pre-requisite for state funding.

In a statement released on Monday, the DBU welcomed the proposals but said that they didn't go far enough.

The governing body called for more resources for police investigating match-fixing, stiffer penalties for those found guilty and the establishment of a 'special court with specialised knowledge' for sports corruption cases.

"It is important that match fixing is punished as hard as possible, to show a complete zero tolerance," DBU chairman Jesper Moller said in the statement.

"The new bill is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. There should be a number of additional measures, so that together we fight match-fixing as much as possible."

Moller also promised a campaign by the DBU to increase awareness of the dangers of match-fixing at all levels of Danish football.