By PAUL O’DONOGHUE, Senior Correspondent
THE UK has launched a new Football Intelligence Team to examine how criminals may exploit football for financial gain.
The team has been established within the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU). It will develop a clearer picture of crime in football and its impact.
Mike Ankers, the deputy director of the UKFPU, said: “The team has been created to develop our understanding of the scale, nature and impact of crime within football, with a particular focus on identifying where organised criminals and others may be exploiting the game for financial gain.”
The UKFPU provides national football policing support and intelligence gathering. It also acts as the UK’s National Football Information Point for international police information and intelligence exchanges.
The move comes after the UK’s 2025 National Risk Assessment identified football clubs and agents as a money laundering risk. It highlighted vulnerabilities linked to club ownership, overseas entities, player transfers and sponsorships.
It also identified risks around investment in financially distressed clubs. Criminals could use complex structures to obscure the ultimate beneficiaries of investments, the government said.
Ankers said the new team will work with police, football authorities, clubs, government and other partners.
“By working alongside colleagues across policing, football authorities, clubs, government, law enforcement and other partners, we want to identify those who seek to exploit the game for criminal gain and, wherever possible, bring those responsible to justice,” he said.
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