Whistle-blowers 'acted in interests of German football'

The complaint that has sparked Germany's biggest football scandal in more than 30 years came from four Bundesliga referees, who said yesterday they acted to avoid damage to the sport.

The complaint that has sparked Germany's biggest football scandal in more than 30 years came from four Bundesliga referees, who said yesterday they acted to avoid damage to the sport.

The referee Robert Hoyzer, who has denied any wrongdoing, is suspected by the German Football Association of betting on Hamburg SV's cup defeat by SC Paderborn last August and manipulating the result.

Last Wednesday, Lutz Fröhlich, Manuel Graefe, Olaf Blumenstein and Felix Zwayer, all Bundesliga referees, revealed to the DFB information they had about Hoyzer, who resigned on Friday.

The four released a statement yesterday explaining their actions and said they were making no accusations against their former colleague.

"In connection with the accusations against Robert Hoyzer, we can state that various pieces of evidence, information and witness statements relating to the games and refereeing of Robert Hoyzer were available to us, which gave us cause to inform the heads of the refereeing committee last Wednesday," the statement said.

"Based on the information we had, and direct comments by Robert Hoyzer to his refereeing colleague Felix Zwayer, we saw an urgent need for an investigation to avoid possible damage to German football and Germany's refereeing system. We believe we acted in the interests of German football.

"We emphasise that we did not accuse Robert Hoyzer of either betting on his own games or of corruption, nor did we introduce any other individuals or background into the case."

The German FA said on Monday that it was looking into five other games in the second division and regional league, four of them refereed by Hoyzer.

Germany was rocked by a corruption scandal in 1971, with sanctions imposed on 53 players, two coaches, six officials and the clubs Arminia Bielefeld and Kickers Offenbach.

German referees will be asked to sign a new code of conduct that will prohibit them from betting on games in the wake of the match-fixing scandal that has shaken the sport in the country.

Volker Roth, Germany's refereeing chief, has called a meeting tomorrow with 42 match officials from the top two divisions of the Bundesliga after suspicions were raised by the German FA over Hoyzer.

"It is only normal that referees do not take part in sports betting," Roth, who is also the head of Uefa's refereeing commission, said yesterday in a statement. "I'll be referring to precisely that issue."

The Bild newspaper reported that Roth wanted referees to sign a new code of conduct expressly banning any involvement with betting on matches.

"Those who do not sign will not stay on the list," Roth was quoted as saying. "I don't want any cover-ups. This has caused immense damage."