Sofia :UEFA president Michel Platini has warned that players who get involved in match-fixing are putting their careers on the line.
"I always tell the players to be very careful," Platini told a news conference on Sunday. "They should know they'll never play football again if they're caught in the act.
"I'm telling them - play poker or go to the casino and or play some other gambling game but don't try to fix matches."
Platini reiterated that UEFA would take a zero-tolerance approach to what he has previously described as the biggest scourge facing the game.
"I'm not a policeman and I'm not a judge, who fights with the mafia," he said.
"I know we must defend football. You know that UEFA's executive committee and congress declared zero tolerance for corruption.
"We can't convict a person who has agreed to fix a match," Platini added. "This is not our function. But we're pushing to solve this problem.
"We gave 7.5 million euros ($10.2 million) to each of the national football associations recently to combat the problem and I can tell you that they'll receive 9.5 million euros each between 2012 and 2016."
During his two-day visit, Platini met Bulgaria Prime Minister Boiko Borisov to discuss the Balkan country's bid to host the European Under-21 championship finals in 2013.
"Bulgaria is ready to host the championship," Platini said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, November 14, 2010, 20:56