Soccer players who will perform in the 2006 Germany World Cup will not be allowed to gamble about the results of the global championship, and will be required to sign a written agreement with regards to this issue, according to Joseph Blatter, FIFA’s president.

Blatter believes that FIFA must be very strict with all the players who take part of the teams, in order to avoid “uncomfortable” situations. “For us it’s not enough that only some players undertake to avoid gambling; we need to be sure about the behavior of every single player”, he added.

This idea comes from the current rumors about possible gambling mafias in Germany, Belgium, Greece and Brazil, which could be planning to manipulate players and matches results. Behind this rumor, there is a really big international network that operates in several European countries.

In Germany, to the present, this case has affected minor and regional soccer leagues players. However, some weeks ago, a public TV program announced that also Bundesleague players were involved.