Jamie Trecker of the Fox Soccer Channel (USA) reminded his viewers that corruption and football match fixing is a perennial problem, world wide.
He noted that a match fixing case and the conviction of six men overall as a result dominated headlines in Germany throughout the year. Referee Hoyzer was ultimately banned for life from football and sentenced to two years and four months in jail. Another referee, Dominik Marks, was given an 18-month suspended sentence while former player Steffen Karl was given a nine-month suspended sentence.
“Two Czech refs await trial for attempting to influence a game this season; a Finnish newspaper has reported that its league is rife with corruption (one team, Allianssi lost a game suspiciously 8-0); and Belgium is investigating Chinese businessman Zheyun Ye for attempted bribery in connection to club Germinal Beerschot. Ye, perhaps predictably, was also the main owner of AC Allianssi,” he reported.
He noted that a match fixing case and the conviction of six men overall as a result dominated headlines in Germany throughout the year. Referee Hoyzer was ultimately banned for life from football and sentenced to two years and four months in jail. Another referee, Dominik Marks, was given an 18-month suspended sentence while former player Steffen Karl was given a nine-month suspended sentence.
“Two Czech refs await trial for attempting to influence a game this season; a Finnish newspaper has reported that its league is rife with corruption (one team, Allianssi lost a game suspiciously 8-0); and Belgium is investigating Chinese businessman Zheyun Ye for attempted bribery in connection to club Germinal Beerschot. Ye, perhaps predictably, was also the main owner of AC Allianssi,” he reported.
See also: Latest football match-fixing "must be eliminated" (18 Oct).