Today, 5 November 2025, Europol and UEFA have renewed and extended their Memorandum of Understanding, focused on preventing and combating crime while protecting the integrity of European football. The memorandum was signed at UEFA headquarters in Nyon by the Executive Director of Europol, Catherine De Bolle, and by the President of UEFA, Aleksander ?eferin. Europol and UEFA committed to cooperate in joint activities and projects. The partnership will enhance joint investigations, information sharing, and expert support for UEFA’s 55 member associations. During her visit to UEFA, Europol’s Executive Director also joined the meetings of the UEFA Governance and Compliance Committee and the UEFA Stadium and Security Committee which were taking place on the same morning. She exchanged views with the members of the committees dealing with many of the topics covered in the new Memorandum of Understanding.Wider scope of cooperation between the organisationsThe agreement builds on the past cooperation between the institutions, especially in the fight against match-fixing, while broadening the scope of cooperation into other organised crime-related threats. The cooperation focuses on information exchange and knowledge sharing in the areas of major football events, sports corruption, match-fixing and money laundering, racism, xenophobia and violent extremism as well as illegal activities around the unlawful streaming or transmission of audiovisual content. Cooperation extends to the detection of suspicious transactions and activities in the areas of transfers of football players, investment in football clubs, trading of football-related financial assets, and sports betting. Awarding and organising of sports competitions can also be abused by criminals to launder illicit proceeds or for corruption purposes and are therefore also among the possible areas of cooperation.Catherine De BolleEuropol Executive DirectorFootball provides a universal language that transcends borders, fostering a shared passion among diverse groups of people. At the same time, we have to note the criminal abuse of this wonderful sport: as with every major societal movement, football is vulnerable to criminal exploitation. Europol stands ready to support UEFA and all competent national authorities in safeguarding the integrity of this beautiful game.Aleksander ?eferinUEFA PresidentAs the governing authority for European football, we collaborate closely with European institutions and agencies, including Europol, to safeguard the integrity, credibility, and long-term sustainability of the game at every level. Through our partnership with Europol, we remain committed to enhancing our coordinated actions to prevent and tackle the criminal exploitation of our sportAbout UEFAUEFA is the governing body of European football and a not-for-profit organisation which supports and ensures the world’s most popular sport continues to thrive at all levels across its 55 member associations. As part of its commitment, UEFA invests 97.5% of its revenue in football-related activities, projects and initiatives that ensure the continued development of the men's and women's professional game as well as youth, grassroots and futsal.About EuropolEuropol is the European Union’s law enforcement agency. Headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, Europol supports the 27 EU Member States in their fight against terrorism, cybercrime and other serious and organised forms of crime. With over 1 600 staff members, Europol uses state-of-the-art tools to support some 3 000 international investigations each year, serving as a centre for law enforcement cooperation, analytical expertise and criminal intelligence.
Europol and UEFA united for fair and safe football