AFC satisfied with clean Asian Cup in Australia
The recent Asian Cup in Australia was completed with no evidence of match-manipulation, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced in a statement on Tuesday.
Ahead of the continental tournament, the AFC took steps to combat potential match-fixing, working alongside the Australian government, law enforcement authorities, Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Sportradar - a betting monitoring service provider.
AFC general secretary Alex Soosay said: "It is extremely encouraging to see that the detailed integrity planning and collaboration for our premier tournament, the AFC Asian Cup, was a success.
"This would not have been possible without the support and focused efforts of each stakeholder and in particular Australian law enforcement and Sportradar, who worked hand-in hand with AFC's Integrity Unit throughout the tournament.
"The effective implementation of this action plan could be a blueprint for other Asian sporting events and sports governing bodies.
"Continued efforts will be made to ensure a similar outcome for future AFC competitions. Upholding the integrity of all our competitions remains a key priority for AFC."
FFA CEO David Gallop added: "FFA takes the issue of match-fixing very seriously and as part of its integrity strategy has been working closely with law enforcement and Sportradar over recent years.
"FFA welcomed the AFC's proactive approach, which demonstrates that planning, information exchange and cooperation among all stakeholders are critical to combating match-fixing.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
"The Asian Cup overall was a great success for football in Australia and the Asian region with record crowds and TV audiences. The integrity of such major tournaments is integral to the popularity and growth of football."
Australia won the tournament for the first time, defeating South Korea in the final.