KNVB "tightening processes" after sponsor deal linked to Chinese organized crime

The Dutch football association KNVB will "continue sharpening the processes" to be more prepared for the risks of international cooperation. The association said this in response to a story published by NRC. The newspaper reported on Wednesday that the KNVB had agreed to a sponsor deal with a company from the Chinese organized crime network in 2022.

"There has indeed been a partner deal between the KNVB and BOB Sports," the KNVB reported. The result of the 'due diligence' into this party showed no indication that we should not go into business with them then. If we had any suspicion of this company's connections with criminal organizations, we would have never entered into this partnership. When new information came to light that gave us reason to worry, we canceled the partnership directly.

The NRC reported that the agreement between the KNVB and gambling company BOB Sports was agreed upon for two years, with an option of another year. A part of the deal was that the gambling companies would be allowed to broadcast certain KNVB Cup matches. The KNVB decided to cancel the agreement in January of this year. A reason for this was the investigation conducted by NRC into club deals with gambling companies. The association also had no contact with the company anymore, and some bills were unpaid.

"This incident shows us the importance of transparency and our cooperation with partners," said the KNVB. "We will continue to sharpen our processes to be better for potential risks that international cooperation brings with it. A recent decision not to do business with an international party based on these tightened processes and the outcome of 'due diligence' is an example of this."