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FIFA monitoring final group games for matchfixing

Every match in the tournament is monitored by the Early Warning System that detects irregular betting patterns.

But Marco Villiger, FIFA's Legal Director, told a media briefing it keeps a particularly close eye on high risk games which complete the first round at the finals.

"These are the high risk matches from a betting perspective," said Villiger.

"Matchfixing is the biggest threat facing football at the moment and there is a big risk in the last group matches, especially if a team is involved which has already qualified, or is already out.

"We use our all our means to focus on those who have already qualified or are out. The question is, are these high risk matches and the answer is yes, they are."

"I would not believe the World Cup could be a target for the betting mafia but in the meantime we have to be prepared that even the World Cup could be, not just lower league matches."

"The threat is here," said Villiger, "but we're working closely with our colleagues at (European football's governing body) UEFA, with Interpol, with 400 bookmakers around the world, to do all we can to keep the game clean."

He added that live betting - for example when bets are placed on the first throw-in or yellow card at a match - was harder to track. "For this World Cup we are focusing much more on the investigative part of betting.

"We have international cooperation with Interpol and we have a number of informants who provide us with high level information."

"The World Cup, the Euros, the Champions League, other big tournaments are always vulnerable to the betting syndicates. We are binding all our forces together to fight this threat."

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