Illegal gambling bigger threat than doping, experts warn

ZURICH: Illegal gambling and match-fixing attempts pose a bigger threat to soccer than doping, FIFA betting experts told a Zurich congress on Monday.

"It is a big threat ... in the special case of football even bigger than doping because of the perception it leaves in the minds of the public," said Detlev Zenglein, analyst for the Early Warning System (EWS) set up by soccer's ruling body FIFA to monitor betting patterns.

"Every time there are rumors it sticks in people's heads and lessens their enthusiasm for sport because they think they might have been cheated."