German referees on trial for match fixing
Guardian >> German referees on trial for match fixing
German football in the spotlight - not a good advert for the upcoming World Cup finals in Germany next year.
A court in Berlin will today begin a long-awaited fraud trial into allegations of match fixing. Coming in the months leading up to next summer's World Cup in Germany, the prosecutions of the former Bundesliga referee Robert Hoyzer, the footballer Steffen Karl, Hoyzer's fellow referee Dominik Marks and three alleged members of a Croatian betting ring are a huge embarrassment to Fifa and the German football authorities.
The trial is scheduled to last until December 29 and will be in progress when officials assemble in Leipzig on December 9 for the 2006 World Cup draw. Hoyzer has admitted to manipulating matches and the 25-year-old, once considered one of Germany's most promising referees, was banned for life in April by his country's FA. The six defendants face from 12 months to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
