fifa baloon d'or 2012 fair play award 7/1/2013 fifa.com
fifa announced the three nominees for the fifa fair play award 2012. the contenders are the guatemalan football federation (gff), for giving a clear signal that unfair behaviour and match-fixing will not be tolerated in football; turkish club eskisehirspor, whose nomination was proposed by the supporters of scottish club st johnstone following a uefa europa league second qualifying round tie; and the uzbekistan football federation (uff), for showing that fair play and competition are not mutually exclusive, but complement each another. the winner will be revealed at the fifa ballon d'or gala 2012 on 7 january 2013.
eskisehirspor (fifa.com) friday 4 january 2013
eskisehirspor have been nominated for the fifa fair play award for their participation in the uefa europa league qualifying round matches against scottish side st johnstone.
the nomination of the turkish club eskisehirspor and its fans stands out because it was made by the fans of the opposing team, the scottish club st johnstone. the scots were highly impressed not only with the extremely friendly reception they received at their away game, but also with the very sporting behaviour of the turkish team.
it was the first time in more than a decade that either side had participated in european competition. prior to the first leg, dignitaries from the turkish side met st johnstone chairman steve brown at the airport in turkey. then, fans from both sides mingled in the city centre, contributing to a lively and friendly atmosphere leading up to the match.
during the first leg, frazer wright went down injured for st johnstone and eskisehirspor went on the attack, forcing a corner. as the corner came when st johnstone were down to ten men, dede of eskisehirspor knocked the ball out, giving the ball straight back to the scottish side.
following the hospitality and fair play during the first leg, st johnstone made arrangements to host the travelling turkish fans in a local sports bar and complimentary transport was provided to the stadium.
paul smith, football administrator at st johnstone, said: “i believe that the fact that neither club are regular participants in european competition, ensured that the supporters made the most of the occasion, forming some long-term friendships.
“however, there is no doubt that this was only possible because of the friendly welcome received by our supporters in eskisehir.”
uzbekistan football federation (fifa.com) friday 4 january 2013
the uzbekistan football federation (uff) has been nominated for the fifa fair play award 2012 alongside the guatemalan football federation (gff) and the turkish club eskisehirsport.
the side finished as winners of the 2012 afc fair play association of the year award. the uzbeks amassed 498.84 points over the year, 16.37 points more than runners-up iran as they emerged the victors.
the top prize in asia came as a testament for the fair play displayed by uzbek national teams and club sides participating in afc competitions during the past year, with uff president mirabor usmanov paying tribute to their performance.
"winning this award gives us a good feeling and i think it's a good evaluation of our football and the positive work," he said. “we will try our best to help the afc in its cause of promoting fair play”.
with uzbekistan among the hopefuls to win the fifa fair play award, which will be presented in zurich on 7 january at the fifa ballon d’or gala 2012, the uff boss expressed the commitment he felt to carry forward the positive performance.
"we are more responsible to protect the spirit of fair play,” usmanov concluded. “fair play, friendship and respect to the opponents are what we need to teach our players. inside the field they are opponents but once they leave the field they are asian colleagues who try to promote the game throughout the globe”
guatemalan football association (fifa.com) friday 4 january 2013
in 2012 the guatemalan football association underlined its firm commitment to fair play by handing three national team players lifetime bans for their involvement in match-fixing during international games.
commitment to clean sport, transparency and sportsmanship were among the priorities dealt with by the guatemalan football association (fedefut) in 2012. their dedication to fair play is highlighted by the lifetime bans given to three national team players for their involvement in match-fixing during international games.
guillermo ramirez, gustavo cabrera and yony flores were convicted in september after being found guilty of participating in match-fixing. the sentence was the result of a lengthy internal investigation conducted by fedefut’s disciplinary committee.
in doing so, the guatemalan football association sent a clear message to the footballing community that fair play comes before its own sporting interests. the three suspended players were veterans of the national set-up, with ramirez and cabrera having each played in more than 30 fifa world cup™ qualifying matches, while flores featured in 14.
the fight against match-fixing is one of fifa’s main objectives, as has been demonstrated in recent years. after the 2010 fifa world cup south africa, world football’s governing body established a program of investigation-support to combat match-fixing and infiltration of criminals into the game. the system employed over the last two years aims to support police and other investigative and prosecutorial organisations in developing evidence to prosecute people for involvement in match-fixing.
fedefut has followed suit and deservedly earned a place on the shortlist for the fifa fair play award, which will be presented in zurich on 7 january at the fifa ballon d’or gala 2012.
) 
