"Mejor Cancha”: Check out the Soccer Transparency and Security Agenda presented by the Government

Greater oversight, transparency and security for those who participate in professional soccer in Chile. This is the objective of the “Mejor Cancha” (better pitch) Soccer Transparency and Security Agenda presented by the government through the Sports Ministry. 

More security and better coexistence 

The agenda aims to provide the conditions to hold matches with higher security standards, where the organizers assume the responsibilities that apply to them and deliver guarantees so that the public can attend stadiums to enjoy the sport without taking risks. 

We are going to increase the sanctions for those who do not respect the rules and make sure that they are followed. The agenda also strengthens the sanctioning processes for organizers so that infringements are effectively punished. 

The initiative will also protect those who are involved in security inside the stadiums, with the incorporation of a plan to improve the protection of security guards so that they can carry out their work effectively. 

In addition, we will present a bill to establish an administrative sanctioning procedure to make applying the sanctions provided for in the regulations more efficient and effective. 

Greater oversight and transparency 

We will make amendments to the bill to modify the Sports Limited Companies Law, with the aim of increasing the tools for oversight, ending conflicts of interest and encouraging the participation of fans and members in their clubs. 

We will propose regulating the professional sports leagues, separating their role in promoting and developing professional sports competition from the role of the federations as the discipline’s highest authority, responsible for training, promoting and developing the sport and its national teams. This will establish a measure of transparency in management, and the absolute incompatibility of exercising managerial positions in a professional sports league and the respective federation. 

These modifications follow the model of countries like Spain, England and Germany, where there is a clear separation between the professional leagues and the football federation of each country. 

This separation will also allow resources that are currently allocated to the development of the sport, such as those provided by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the National Sports Institute (IND), to directly benefit policies to promote soccer in all areas. 

With regard to professional sports, the creation of sports leagues goes hand in hand with the promotion of professional sports development policies, following successful models such as rugby. 

In terms of oversight, the proposed regulations will make the commercial management of the National Professional Football Association (ANFP) more transparent. The ANFP is currently a non-profit private corporate entity, and the regulations would establish new obligations to allow the organization’s economic activity to be efficiently audited, thus avoiding situations like those seen in recent years.  

The clubs that have adopted the statutes of closed stock sports companies or maintain a professional sports fund will be subject to oversight by the National Sports Institute (IND). This will optimize the catalog of sanctions and establish a special procedure for applying them, which will ensure effective oversight for fulfilling the obligations determined by law. 

"We are looking to ban natural or legal persons who act as intermediaries for professional athletes from having interests in professional sports organizations, and being members of their boards of directors or other bodies. With this measure to safeguard the transparency and integrity of professional sports activity, private economic interests are prevented from affecting the integrity of the activity,” Transparency and Security Agenda. 

The amendments that we will make increase the oversight and control of the economic activities carried out by professional sports organizations. They establish effective bans on multiple ownership and determine the final beneficiaries in each organization, as well as a sanctioning regime that guarantees the transparency standards required by professional sports. 

We will promote the participation of fans and supporters in defining the clubs’ sports policies, including at least one representative with the right to vote on decision-making bodies for these issues. If this amendment is approved, the participation of fans will be part of the statutes of these organizations, and therefore an obligation. 

Fair play 

Our agenda proposes regulating online betting platforms to protect the health and safety of gamblers and promote responsible gambling. This will generate a competitive market that safeguards public trust by making the origin and destination of resources more transparent, increasing tax collection among other things.  

Finally, over the last week we have learned of serious complaints from professional players about betting on soccer. This has been confirmed by the Chilean Professional Footballers’ Union (SIFUP). We will therefore urgently request the start of discussion on the bills that are currently being processed in the National Congress to define the crime of match fixing, in order to safeguard the integrity of sports competition.