Since match-fixing is considered a major threat to the integrity of sport, the implementation of awareness campaigns has become one of the most recommended and enacted policies. Sports governing bodies and international political organizations have established programmes to morally educate on-field sports actors to recognize the problem, resist its incentives and proposals, and report any offer or case they may know. The homogeneity of the content of those prevention campaigns, which are forged and agreed upon in a top-down perspective by international and sports governing organizations, betting regulators and law enforcement institutions, has generated an official preventive narrative of the problem. Through interviews with on-field sports actors (athletes, players, coaches, referees) this article explores the dislocations between the contents of this official preventive narrative and interviewers’ perceptions and experiences of match-fixing. Findings show how some cognitive limitations of the official narrative can led to the delegitimating of the educational programmes to fight against the phenomenon. The results also provide evidence to broaden the debate on the subject. The conclusions suggest a new road map for policy intervention, and for the set-up of new and more effective awareness initiatives.

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• Psychology - Social Sciences
• Sociology - Social Sciences
• Law - Social Sciences