The educational programme will be rolled out to all 20 clubs in the top division in Italy throughout the current season and will be delivered to more than 1,400 players.

Fraud prevention and detection service specialists Sportradar, a UEFA partner, will deliver the programme.

The workshops are aimed at helping participants understand why match-fixing is a growing problem, how fixers make their approaches and what the consequences of fixing are, using real-life case studies.

Sportradar will also provide e-learning tutorials to support and supplement the workshops, ensuring that each participant understands what they have learnt and is comfortable with the information.

"Prevention is about more than a slide show or a booklet," said managing director of integrity and strategy at Sportradar, Andreas Krannich.

"This two-tier package of Fraud Prevention Services, involving interactive workshops and personal e-learning tutorials, means that the league and the clubs can take confidence in the fact that those destined to excite Serie A's fans today and tomorrow have understood the importance of this fundamental issue and its impact."

A number of match-fixing scandals have hit Italian football in recent years, the most damning of which saw then Italian champions Juventus along with Fiorentina and Lazio relegated to Serie B in 2006 after it was found that team managers and officials were attempting to bribe referees.

Juventus was one of three Italian clubs sanctioned in 2006 after being found guilty of match-fixing ©Getty Images



A separate investigation in 2011 - Calcioscommesse – uncovered matches in Serie A, Serie B and Lega Pro had been fixed at the behest of organised crime syndicates, primarily from Eastern Europe, who had approached individual players to fix game results including former Italian international player Giuseppe Signori.

Commenting on the launch of the new campaign, Serie A President Maurizio Beretta, said: "Thanks to the partnership with Sportradar, Lega Serie A marks a very important goal to protect integrity in football today.

"The future of Lega Serie A is bright and exciting and nowhere is that clearer to see than in the youth academies run by our 20 clubs.

"At Lega Serie A, we take our responsibilities towards all our footballers, in particular toward the young players, very seriously: they count on us to develop them and protect them."

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