German referee admits match-fixing

German referee Robert Hoyzer admitted yesterday that he had fixed matches and offered to co-operate with the investigation into the country's biggest football scandal in over 30 years.

"The allegations against me which have been raised in public are in essence true," the 25-year-old Hoyzer said in a statement released by his lawyers.

"I deeply regret my behaviour and apologise to the German Football Association (DFB), my refereeing colleagues and all football fans."

Germany's football community reacted to the confession with disgust, while Berlin prosecutors said they had received a complaint highlighting a suspected link with Croatian gamblers.

News of the scandal broke on Saturday evening when the DFB announced that Hoyzer was under suspicion of rigging Hamburg SV's Cup defeat by Paderborn SC in August last year after betting on the result. Hamburg took a 2-0 lead but went on to lose 4-2 after Hoyzer sent off striker Emile Mpenza in the first half for insulting him and awarded two penalties to the regional league side.

The DFB has since widened its investigation to look at Hoyzer's involvement in five more second division and regional league matches, four of which he refereed himself. Hoyzer did not referee any first division games.

Earlier this week Hoyzer denied having bet on any matches that he had refereed, while his lawyer strongly criticised the DFB's handling of the case and said his client had been pressured into signing a resignation letter.

Hoyzer changed his story yesterday after a second consultation with his lawyers.

"I have documented completely and unsparingly my behaviour and my entire substantial knowledge of all facts and people known to me in this matter and am available to prosecutors and the DFB to provide a full explanation," concluded the statement, released by lawyers Holthoff-Pfoertner.

Public prosecutors said yesterday they had been involved in the case since Wednesday in response to complaint lodged by the DFB and also a private individual in the southern town of Passau.

Preventive measures

Meanwhile, the DFB will in future assign referees to matches with just two days' notice to help prevent further match-fixing cases.

Volker Roth, head of the DFB's referees committee, announced the change yesterday. He said that giving out the name of the referee so close to the game would minimise the window of opportunity for anyone interested in getting to the referee.

Roth announced that in future seasons Cup matches would have a refereeing observer present from the first round, instead of from the second round, as is current practice.