German Match-fixing Trail Begins

The trial of two German soccer referees started today. Robert Hoyzer (pictured) and Dominik Marks face up to 10 years in jail if found guilty. Former first division player Steffen Karl and three Croatian brothers accused of running the betting syndicate also went on trial at the Berlin state court.

Regardless of the outcome of this trial, this event is casting a bad shadow over Germany as they prepare for next year's World Cup. It looks like the trail will still be going on when the 9 December draw for the tournament occurs. It is a real shame that this had to happen.

The Prosecutors have listed 23 games in which they believe the referees fixed or attempted to fix the results. All matches were played in Germany.

The scandal revolves around Hoyzer who has admitted to taking bribes to influence matches (including taking 70,000 Euros ($83,000) and a flat-screen television in return for influencing the Paderborn - SV Hamburg match). He has been banned for life by the German FA.

Reuters has a good list of background information on this story.