Fifa to examine betting in wake of German scandal
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-14 09:41

Betting in football will be at the top of the agenda at next month's meeting of FIFA's executive committee as the sport's governing body looks for ways to prevent further match-fixing scandals.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, in Frankfurt to open a referees' workshop, said the sport had to take heed of the corruption case that has engulfed German football.

"The German case is a warning shot," Blatter told German magazine Der Spiegel in a interview today.

In the wake of the Robert Hoyzer refereeing scandal the German Football Federation have made an official request for FIFA, football's governing body, to start using television coverage to analyse referees. [AFP]

"The topic of bets will be the most important thing under discussion at the executive committee meeting on March 7 and 8. We need information on unusual activity in betting."

Robert Hoyzer, the 25-year-old referee at the centre of the scandal, was arrested on Saturday after Berlin prosecutors said new evidence had emerged that he may have been involved in match-fixing prior to 2004.

Hoyzer had already admitted to fixing several matches in the Cup and lower leagues in Germany in return for money from gamblers.

Blatter said he had faith in the game's referees and that the scandal should not affect the 2006 World Cup, which is being hosted by Germany.

"FIFA has absolute confidence in its referees," he said. "We have world-wide over 720,000 referees and there can be a black sheep now and again.

"I don't see any problems for the World Cup."

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