MARS: a network of magistrates and prosecutors to protect sport

In response to the transnational threats menacing sport, justice services are getting organised. On the initiative of the council of Europe, a network of European magistrates and prosecutors has been set up. An article by Jean-Yves Lourguilloux, assistant state prosecutor in Marseille and president of the MARS network.

Although sport conveys positive values, it is not immune to societal problems such as violence, both physical and verbal, or attacks on its probity. These abuses and attacks on its integrity put sport in danger. They destabilise the institutions responsible for its development and even the functioning of competitions. Prevention is a good idea, but suppression is vital. These abuses are difficult to prove and prosecute because of their political, diplomatic, international aspects and their links with criminal organisations. What is required is strong determination, reactivity and the capacity to intervene at the international level.

We need to stop talking and encourage action. This was the idea behind the creation of the international network of magistrates specialised in sport (MARS – Magistrates / Prosecutors Responsible for Sport). Several years and the support of the Council of Europe, under the auspices of EPAS, were needed to achieve this.
The network brings together prosecutors from thirty or so countries, chosen for their competence and their experience. Europol, Interpol and Eurojust are participants, along with Cybercrime, GRECO¹ and Moneyval².

Officially launched in Strasbourg in November 2022, the second meeting was held in September 2023 in Paris. The objective is to improve the judicial response to attacks on the integrity of sport, particularly in the context of match-fixing. The idea is to increase knowledge of criminal phenomena and set up an effective network for international cooperation in the judiciary. The meetings provided the chance to assemble several prosecutors around the themes of combating match-fixing, doping, illegal betting, hate speech in sport and the abuses to be found in fan groups.

The approach is not solely judicial. Part of the meetings is open to third parties: athletes, whistle-blowers, journalists, experts, sports bodies, international organisations, investigation services and, of course, at the end of the chain, the judicial authorities. We set out the broad outlines of what this network could be: a place for sharing information, identifying criminal targets, devising enquiry strategies, improving the quality of enquiries with the help of the analysis of objective data and experts. We are pursuing these objectives with one end in view: effectively combating attacks on the integrity of sport.

This article was published in the magazine Sport and Citizenship n°57 : protecting sport integrity