The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) awarded Liga Portugal the Bronze Certification on Good Governance in Sport, marking it as the first premier professional football League globally to go through SIGA’s Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS) and reach the podium.
Conducted by SIGA’s independent and SIRVS-trained global audit team, the SIRVS audit assessed Liga Portugal’s governance rules, processes, and practices against the 2020 Edition of SIGA’s Universal Standards on Good Governance in Sport.
SIGA’s Universal Standards on Sport Integrity are built in a three-phase implementation process: Bronze, Silver and Gold – the equivalent of “Good,” “Better” and “Best,” respectively.
SIRVS certifications hold a three-year validity, with annual reviews to ensure that sports organisations continually elevate their governance and integrity.
“The SIGA Universal Standards on Sport Integrity, and SIRVS are at the heart of our reform agenda and are designed to support sports organisations’ ongoing governance journey,“ said Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, SIGA’s Global chief executive officer.
“They are the silver bullet; the most advanced and the only independent tool in the entire global sports industry to assess, rate, and certify sports organisations’ governance and deliver, in a rigorous, neutral, and objective manner, the indispensable transparency and accountability.
“As the pioneering football league to go through SIRVS, Liga Portugal has undoubtedly demonstrated its commitment to Sport Integrity and continual governance improvement. But, by doing so, they have also set an example for every other single sport organisation,” he added.
Pedro Proença, Liga Portugal’s president said transparency, ethics and integrity have always been – and will always be – top priorities for his organisation.
“We have always assumed that it is not enough to express our ambitions, it is necessary to take action. That’s why Liga Portugal was proud to lead by example and become the first national sports organisation to adopt an Anti-Bribery Standard,” Proença said.
“This Good Governance certification awarded by SIGA is another firm step taken by Liga Portugal in the defence of universal values such as ethics, transparency, and integrity. Values that for Liga Portugal are not just words, but principles that we will never renounce.
“Being the first professional football league to achieve this certification reinforces our commitment to protecting our competitions and safeguarding integrity in Professional Football,” he added.
Liga Portugal is now following in the footsteps of European Rugby League Federation, the first sports organisation to obtain SIRVS certification. This sets a precedence for other top-tier football organisations to demonstrate compliance and prove they are fit for purpose and worthy of the financial investment from the broadcasters and sponsors, the trust and public funding from the governments and the passion and loyalty from the fans.
Several renowned international sports organisations have committed to undergoing SIRVS, including but not limited to SIGA’s long-term partner and European football’s governing body, UEFA. Other sports organisations, including European Swimming League and the International Chess Federation are making use of SIGA’s independent gap assessment audit, which is confidential and a precursor to SIRVS, to support the organisations in achieving excellence.
SIGA is the world’s leading organisation for sport Integrity. Twentytwo13 is SIGA’s sole permanent media partner from Asia.
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