Pogba fires Juventus to four-goal victory

Two long-distance strikes from Paul Pogba set Juventus on their way to a 4-0 home triumph over Udinese Calcio and a five-point cushion at the top of Serie A, after S.S. Lazio were held.

Juventus' lead at the top of Serie A stands at five points after they capitalised on a 2-2 draw for S.S. Lazio by overwhelming Udinese Calcio.

Following the Biancocelesti's brush with defeat in Sicily – Hernanes earning Lazio a share of the spoils against lowly US Città di Palermo with a late penalty – the leaders took advantage, emphatically registering their first league win of 2013.

Paul Pogba scored twice in a 4-0 home win, the first an unstoppable right-footed shot beyond Danielle Padelli and in off the underside of the crossbar four minutes before the break. The 19-year-old's second, a low drive from distance midway through the second period, was followed by a Mirko Vučinić effort on the turn and a smart finish from substitute Alessandro Matri.

Lazio took the lead through Sergio Floccari's early header, but fell behind to two goals in as many minutes. Egidio Raul Arévalo Rios (70) levelled, converting Andrea Dossena's ball to the back post, and when Paulo Dybala swiftly turned the match on its head, Palermo had high hopes of a first win since 24 November. Hernanes, though, ensured they will have to wait another week at least.

Fight against corruption goes on

UEFA and its president Michel Platini have underlined their zero tolerance policy towards corruption in European football following the UEFA Executive Committee's latest meeting in Valletta, Malta.

UEFA and its president Michel Platini have underlined their zero tolerance policy towards corruption in European football. Mr Platini reiterated the European body's determination after the UEFA Executive Committee's latest meeting in Valletta, Malta, on Thursday.

Real problem
"We will use all of our strength to combat all those who corrupt the game," said Mr Platini. "If journalists know before the match who is going to win, there's no interest, and football would be killed in this way. Sincerely, it's a real problem.

Cannot be treated lightly
"Any player who is caught will never play football again. Those who corrupt football at refereeing level will never referee again. Anyone who corrupts as a president or coach will never manage or coach again. This is the will of the president and Executive Committee. We cannot treat this lightly."

Betting Fraud Detection System
UEFA has already taken measures to invest heavily in a Betting Fraud Detection System (BFDS). UEFA also monitors all UEFA matches, as well as all domestic first and second-division matches and domestic cup games. In addition, UEFA has been assisting German police in a European match-fixing investigation, and is investigating several fixtures in the European competitions.

Additional assistant referees
The European body is involved in the experiment with additional assistant referees too, as a test to potentially help the referee's decision-making process. The experiment, sanctioned by football's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), is being carried out in this season's UEFA Europa League.

Time to change refereeing
"Today, when a referee takes a decision, there are 20 cameras which show the decision. Television shows errors – but we all know that the referee can't see everything. I think that it is time to change refereeing and to reflect on what refereeing is," said Mr Platini. "Sufficient referees should be deployed to cover all parts of the pitch. Today, football is the only sport where there is one referee covering the entire pitch. It is easy to show all the things that a referee can't see. One referee is not enough. Our role is to put into place a system of eyes which can cover the whole [pitch]."

2016 bid handover
The bid handover for UEFA EURO 2016 is approaching. On 15 February, three candidates to host the tournament – France, Italy and Turkey – are due to hand their bid dossiers to UEFA, with a final decision on the hosts expected on 28 May. The 2016 final round will be the first to feature 24 teams, and Mr Platini explained the reasons behind the UEFA Executive Committee's decision.

Protect the game
"The role of UEFA is to protect the game. There are technical and organisational advantages. A EURO with 24 teams can provide plenty of good teams without the level of technical quality falling," said Mr Platini, who recalled that many strong sides had missed out on final-round participation in the past. "We are also going to have a fabulous knockout round with 16 teams, which we didn't have before. This is going to give the competition more quality in technical terms."

Referee convention
Five more associations – Cyprus, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova and Wales – have joined the UEFA Convention on Referee Education and Organisation, which aims to improve refereeing structures and development within the European associations. UEFA's national associations director Theodore Theodoridis has also been appointed UEFA's deputy general secretary.

First-ever Integrity Officers workshop at UEFA

The first UEFA Integrity Officers' workshop has taken place at UEFA HQ in Nyon, with the UEFA President delivering a stark warning to increase the fight against match-fixing.

The first-ever UEFA Integrity Officers' workshop finished today at UEFA headquarters with a stark warning from UEFA President Michel Platini about the dangers of match-fixing in football.

"Football, like most sporting disciplines, is in mortal danger," Mr Platini said. "The very essence of our sport is based on the integrity of results, from school sport up to the World Cup. Obviously, the credibility of every competition is affected. If the dice are loaded, what is the point of taking part or getting enthusiastic?

"Today, there is not a week that goes by without newspaper headlines which speak of a suspicion, an inquiry or an arrest linked to the integrity of our competitions. Nevertheless, I refuse to resign myself vis-a-vis this mortal danger, and I know that the entire football family is ready to counterattack."

Mr Platini said that sport by itself can do nothing against organised crime. "Sports justice authorities alone cannot confront this type of challenge with their own tools. And this is where you come into play," he told the Integrity Officers. "In each country and national association, you are there to reinforce the links between football and its disciplinary authorities and the national and continental police and judicial instances.

"You bring your knowledge of football and its actors and players to the professionals. You play a crucial role in defending our sport, in the fight against organised crime and to help bring about a cleansing of our competitions at all levels."

Earlier this year, UEFA's Executive Committee approved a report by its betting/match-fixing working group, which proposed measures that European football should take to address the threat of match-fixing – including the setting up of a network of Integrity Officers at European level.

As well as acting as liaison officers for cooperation between the football authorities and state law enforcement agencies in relation to suspected match-fixing, Integrity Officers will exchange information and experience with the UEFA administration regarding the prosecution of corrupt or criminal practices affecting football. They will monitor disciplinary proceedings and coordinate relevant action, as well as organising educational programmes for players, referees and coaches as part of an effective preventative strategy.

UEFA will make annual funds available to each national member association to help finance the position of Integrity Officer. UEFA's own Integrity Officer will work alongside their national counterpart, supporting the operation of the network and overseeing intelligence gathering and information exchange and experience.

"Our policy is one of zero tolerance to those who are caught," UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino told the seminar. "It is crucial that we protect the soul of our sport." The General Secretary emphasised the importance of cooperation between sports organisations and state authorities. "We can help the public prosecutors and authorities," said Mr Infantino, "and they can help us in exchanging information, knowing that we can be very fast in taking very strong decisions and helping them in their cases."

UEFA, INTERPOL to tackle football-related crimes

UEFA President Michel Platini has met INTERPOL secretary general Ronald K Noble, with the two bodies agreeing to further reinforce their working relationship and exchange of information.

UEFA President Michel Platini and INTERPOL secretary general Ronald K Noble identified a number of areas for cooperation between the two organisations in tackling football-related crimes, including match-fixing and violence in stadiums, during a meeting at UEFA headquarters today.

Mr Platini and Mr Noble agreed to work on a memorandum of understanding to be signed in the near future that will further reinforce the working relationship and exchange of information between the organisations.

"For UEFA, the ongoing fight against match-fixing is one of the most important priorities in my second term as UEFA President," said Mr Platini. "By agreeing to sign a memorandum of understanding with INTERPOL, and by working closely with their network and through our betting fraud detection system, the net is now tightening on those involved in match-fixing and illegal sports betting."

INTERPOL secretary general Ronald K Noble again underlined the world police body's commitment to helping stamp out all forms of criminality affecting football, in particular match-fixing.

"Clearly match-fixing is a worldwide issue," he said. "INTERPOL is ideally placed to help UEFA, FIFA and all footballing professionals tackle the issue effectively at a global level, but at the same time it is important not to lose sight of other types of crime which can affect the sport.

"Following today's meeting with the UEFA President, Michel Platini, I can confidently say that the collaboration that already exists between UEFA and INTERPOL in tackling the issue of match-fixing will become even closer," Mr Noble added.

With INTERPOL already set to provide support ahead of and during the UEFA EURO 2012 final tournament, through the deployment of major events support teams (IMESTs) to the two host countries, Poland and Ukraine, the framework is already in place for closer liaison in combating all forms of criminality to better protect the sport, as well as its players, officials and fans.

As part of the support being given by INTERPOL during UEFA EURO 2012, the IMESTs deployed to Poland and Ukraine will liaise with all 190 member countries to facilitate the real-time exchange of messages and key police intelligence, including fingerprints, wanted persons notices and data relating to stolen and lost travel documents and stolen motor vehicles.

Aladin LoL