African football is increasingly grappling with the issue of match manipulation, as rising disciplinary cases and concerns about organized crime reveal cracks in the current integrity frameworks.
Moses Swaibu, a former professional player and the founder of GC360, a sports integrity technology firm, shares his insights on the topic. "I speak from experience. I was a professional footballer who was recruited, and then I did the recruiting. I know how the grooming works because I did it," he explains.
Swaibu, who has provided integrity education to organizations like FIFA, UEFA, and the Premier League, highlights that reports of suspicious activities should be interpreted cautiously. "Rising alert volumes do not automatically mean rising manipulation. They often mean monitoring is getting better," he said. He emphasizes that while the capacity for detecting manipulation in Africa is improving rapidly, the mechanisms to prevent such issues have not kept pace.
He points out that the syndicates targeting African football are anything but local. "They are international, sophisticated, and they understand the market."
In June 2024, the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) provisionally suspended 13 individuals amid an investigation into a suspected multi-match-fixing scheme involving 10 referees, two football administrators, and one player. FUFA stated that its inquiry, aided by FIFA, had uncovered a syndicate based in South Africa, which allegedly approached referees, players, and administrators to manipulate the outcomes of seven matches played in Uganda’s men’s second division and women’s leagues between October and November 2023.
Denis Lukambi, FUFA's legal manager, noted that around 99% of the manipulation activities were related to betting, with wagers placed both domestically and internationally. Following the investigation, FIFA extended global sanctions against seven Ugandans who had previously been sanctioned within Uganda. Five players received five-year bans while two referees were barred for ten years.
FUFA’s fight against match manipulation continued in November 2024 when it sanctioned an additional 12 individuals tied to a foreign betting syndicate. Among these, one individual received a lifetime ban, and others received bans ranging from one to ten years. By June 2026, FUFA found four players and a club administrator guilty of manipulating a match between Lugazi FC and Buhimba United Saints that ended 5-2. Former player Feni Ali received a lifetime ban for acting as an intermediary between players and match fixers.
Swaibu attributes the vulnerability to financial issues. "The entry point is always the same. It is not greed. It is financial vulnerability. A player or a referee who cannot pay their rent is easier to recruit than one who wants a Ferrari," he explained, pointing out that most fixing often occurs in lower divisions.
In Burundi, six players and a director were handed five-year bans after being found guilty of receiving payments to deliberately underperform. Swaibu referenced the president of Burundi’s competition committee, Yussuf Mossi, who raised a critical question: if someone is receiving ten times their salary, how can they refuse such an offer?
In Mali, the Malian Football Federation (FEMAFOOT) has referred a Ligue 1 match from June 10, 2024, between Afrique Football Elite and AS Korofina to its Independent Ethics Commission due to integrity concerns. While the investigation is ongoing, no accusations of match manipulation have been leveled at either club or individual players so far.
Kenya is also seeking to bolster its laws against match-fixing. The Sports (Amendment) Bill, 2026, sponsored by Irene Mayaka, passed the National Assembly on August 19, aiming to redefine manipulation in sports. If enacted, the bill would impose fines up to three times the value involved or KSh10 million, along with potential prison sentences.
The bill retains separate disciplinary powers for sports organizations, which could include suspensions and match forfeitures. Should the proposed legislation advance, it will require public participation in the Senate before it becomes law.
These legal efforts follow several integrity issues within Kenyan football, including the FIFA ruling in May 2025 that Kenyan club Muhoroni Youth had participated in match manipulation. Swaibu noted that FIFA has enacted bans on players involved in what they termed an international conspiracy, emphasizing that fixing has crept into various tiers of the Kenyan football system.
Patrick Korir, the chief executive of Nairobi City Stars, supported the proposed legislative changes but cautioned that laws alone won't eradicate match manipulation. "There are clubs that have actually shut down because of this vice. Nairobi City Stars right now are just at the edge whether to continue or just stop playing because there’s no safe space for the investment," he said.
In response to these issues, Swaibu mentioned that Kenya Football Federation president Hussein Mohammed is taking steps to address salary arrears for match officials to eliminate excuses related to payment. "If you are not paying your referees, you are not protecting your competition," he stated.
This situation is not isolated to African football alone; cross-border betting networks and intermediaries present challenges to integrity bodies worldwide. However, progress is being made, with Uganda relying on football disciplinary measures, Mali addressing integrity through ethics channels, and Kenya looking into criminal repercussions alongside sports penalties.
Swaibu warned that manipulated matches undermine confidence in the entire sports ecosystem. "It erodes confidence in the entire market built around it. Leagues, broadcasters, sponsors, and bettors all depend on the underlying product being real. As African betting volumes rise, so does the value of protecting them.
"Integrity must become a formal element of licensing across the continent, not an optional add-on. Regulators should require integrity monitoring from the outset rather than retrofitting it later," he added.
With the capacity for suspicious bets to cross borders in a matter of seconds, the challenge remains for African sports bodies and lawmakers to keep pace with these rapid developments.
