Abstract
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58984/smb2602172j
Money laundering in the global sports industry represents a growing threat, driven by high financial volumes, transnational transactions, and limited transparency in sports finance. This study examines how criminal networks exploit professional sports—particularly football—to integrate illicit funds into legitimate financial flows. The research is designed as a narrative literature review combined with qualitative case study analysis. A method approach is employed, including content analysis of regulatory frameworks and academic literature, semi-structured expert interviews, and in-depth examination of two prominent cases: the FIFA corruption scandal (2015) and the Belgian football fraud case (2017–2019). Data from international organizations such as FATF, UNODC, ICSS, and SIGA are systematically analyzed. The findings identify recurring money laundering mechanisms in professional sports, most notably inflated player transfer fees, fictitious sponsorship agreements, betting manipulation, and the use of offshore ownership structures. The analysis further reveals significant institutional and regulatory vulnerabilities, including weak financial oversight, inconsistent enforcement of anti–money laundering (AML) regulations, limited transparency in ownership and sponsorship arrangements, and insufficient internal compliance capacities within sports organizations. Football emerges as the most exposed sport due to its global reach, transfer market structure, and high commercial revenues. The study concludes that existing AML frameworks in sport remain largely reactive and fragmented, particularly in a transnational context. Strengthening financial oversight, enhancing transparency, establishing dedicated compliance units, and improving international regulatory coordination are essential to safeguarding the integrity of professional sports. These findings contribute to sport governance and sport business literature by offering policy-relevant insights into risk management and integrity protection in the global sports industry.
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