German referee paid $65,000 by bookmakers to fix games. And “a lot of people" involved?

German referee paid $65,000 to fix games. And “a lot of people" involved?

Robert Hoyzer, a lower-league football official, has admitted fixing at least five matches in return for a five-digit sum, allegedly from a Croatia-based betting syndicate. The referee’s admission, after initially denying the allegations, has sent German football into shock.

The game fixing scandal, the largest to hit German football since more than 50 players. Last time officials and coaches were caught up in corruption in 1971.

The scandal is focused on a cup game in which German Bundesliga’s Hamburg SV lost a 2-0 against an outsider. In this match Robert Hoyzer awarded two dubious penalties and showed a red card. Hamburg manager had to resign shortly after the cup match. Hamburg are considering legal action. DFB, the German football association, is changing the rules so that referees will know only two days before a game which one they will officiate. It is unclear, however, how this measure will stop last-minute betting on games where the official has already been bribed.

Moreover, fans and teams will no longer accept a controversial decision as flawed but honest. "We cannot link every questionable decision to what is happening at the moment," said Bayern Munich’s player Torsten Frings. "That would slowly bring about the death of football."

The football fixing scandal even overshadowed the start of ticket sales for 2006 World Cup. Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, told that German football was "in the spotlight" stated that the issue must be swiftly resolved.

The DFB and German football are hoping that Hoyzer is just an isolated case so they can put this scandal behind them as cricket, baseball and all the other sports affected have done. But Hoyzer himself sounded less certain things were over. Ominously, he told German television that there were "a lot of other people" involved.