The Rugby Football League (RFL) has extended its partnership with Sportradar, after more than 200 matches that were monitored in 2018 passed the litmus test in terms of integrity.

The RFL’s relationship with Sportradar dates back to 2017, with it including the delivery of integrity workshops to club representatives and RFL officials, as well as the monitoring of matches through its Fraud Detection System.

As part of the new agreement, the partnership will continue for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, at all levels of the professional game.

Alan Darfi, the RFL’s Director of Projects and Legal, commented on the extension: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Sportradar – and also to confirm that no reports of concern were flagged in more than 200 matches that were monitored in 2018.

“The RFL is fully committed to the integrity of the game, and this relationship is a key part of that commitment. Sportradar are trusted nationally and internationally in this field, and therefore excellent partners for us, both in providing monitoring services and also through the delivery of integrity workshops.”

Andreas Krannich, Managing Director of Integrity Services at Sportradar, added: “The extension of our partnership with the Rugby Football League into a third season vindicates our continued investment in both the Fraud Detection System (FDS) and our network of highly trained betting experts worldwide.

“In over 200 matches monitored in the 2018 season, the FDS found no indication of betting-related fixing. The Rugby Football League will once again invest in our education workshops to inform players and officials at the clubs about the threat of match fixing as part of their proactive approach to prevention.”

The extension of the partnership follows the announcement that the RFL’s chairman, Brian Barwick will stand down as the group’s chairman in July.

Barwick stated: “With over four decades in and around top-class sport behind me‎, I feel it is time now to scale back on some of my wide range of activities.

“I have played a central part in the governance changes and re-structuring of the game that has taken place over the past 18 months and at times it proved very challenging – and so it should have.

“However, I was determined to stay in my current role until a satisfactory conclusion was reached – which is now imminent.”

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