KCS GROUP EUROPE
Professional Football
KCS Group Europe
Professional Football
For fifteen years, KCS Group Europe (KCSGE) has been providing high–profile clients with discreet solutions to sensitive problems, in some of the most challenging environments in the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, we operate partnerships and associations in the USA, Spain, Austria, and Asia, which extend our reach across multiple jurisdictions. KCS Group Europe is renowned for uncovering information that is simply unobtainable by other firms, giving our clients a crucial business advantage.
KCS Group Europe and Professional Sport
KCS Group Europe is proud to offer a set of specialised services for clients in the sports arena (with a particular focus on football). Having worked for football clubs across the Premier League and English Football League, KCSGE is well-placed to assist the ‘business side’ with the variety of problems and issues faced to mitigate any risks and protect reputations.
It has long been known that professional football can be used as a tool for wider financial malpractice and corruption. The revenues circulating in professional football renders it a prime target for money laundering through player valuations, TV rights and betting. Should a club have suspicions that criminal practices (of any kind) are occurring then these need to be investigated with expertise and discretion.
Breadth of Services
Discreet Due Diligence and Intelligence: as with any institution, when buying or selling a business, appointing senior staff, or considering sponsorship and partnership deals there is a need for due diligence into all parties involved to prove they are of reputable character, and identify the state and source of their financial holdings. Not only to ensure that they will pass any ‘fit and proper persons’ test, but also to assess whether the source of their wealth is legitimate, and if not, the long-term implications of how this would affect the clubs brand reputation and revenue streams.
KCS Group Europe can ‘dig deep’ into the backgrounds and affairs of relevant individuals/companies, identify whether these pose a reputational or financial risk, and detail ‘hidden’ interests about which the client may never have been meant to find.
This is true whether a club is looking to sell to an entirely new owner or buy ‘franchise firms’ worldwide.
Discreet Investigations: in such a big-money market there will always be those who seek to game the system and make money illicitly or unethically. Instances of financial irregularity are not uncommon, and can result in FA regulatory breaches by clubs, players, and intermediaries, bypassing Financial Fair Play rules, overpayment of payments/bonuses, and damage to the reputation or financial standing of a club where the actions of others bring the game into disrepute. KCSGE can assist in proving and exposing such offences and enable restitution.
Online Threat Monitoring to Clubs, Staff and Players: the vast sums of money involved within professional football means there are always likely to be unscrupulous and criminal elements looking to take advantage of clubs. There is a need for constant online monitoring of clubs’ potential exposure to criminal elements (e.g. discussions on the Dark Web, or analysis of phishing attempts) in order to understand where the threats are and how they can be mitigated.
Social Media Vulnerability Assessment: the degree and depth of players’ and key personnel’s usage of social media or naivety over the latest cyber-criminal techniques, for instance, can reveal oft-unknown threat pathways.
Domain Name Monitoring: monitoring domain names, brands, and trademarks, and Cyber Squatting investigation i.e., where a domain is registered in a name similar to that of an existing club.
Cyber Security Audit: given that a cyber-attack is almost inevitable, our cyber audit serves as a timely reminder to shore up defences and make adequate preparation. KCS Group Europe identify the risks, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities in a club’s cyber environment, including IT systems, people, processes and procedures.
Penetration Testing: KCS Group Europe test a club’s cyber and physical systems and processes to identify vulnerabilities.
Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM): with the aid of surveillance and/or eavesdropping, KCSGE detect and prevent unauthorised access to a club’s sensitive information, so minimising the risk of data theft.
OUR EXPERTISE
Intelligence Services
The intelligence work of KCS Group varies in nature but is always geared towards creating transparency and meeting strict Terms of Reference as outlined by the Client. Utilising the process of ‘intelligence fusion’: combining specialist open-source research, information from human assets and support from cyber quarters, to provide the most complete and actionable product.
