Czech police charge referees over bribery scandal

CZECH police yesterday charged three more referees in the widening bribery scandal that has rocked the country’s top soccer league.

The charges double the number of referees and club officials being investigated by police in the league’s worst ever match-rigging scandal.

Czech police said last week they had evidence that two referees agreed to take bribes from a Synot club official to influence matches against Sparta Prague and Blsany.

Yesterday they said three more referees had been charged for influencing a November 22 match between Synot and Blsany, which Synot won 3-1.

“Two have been charged with taking a bribe and one for facilitating it,” police spokeswoman Blanka Kosinova said.

She declined to give their names but the Czech Football Union said Bohuslav Kratky, Josef Dvoracek and Jaromir Hlavac have been suspended for the rest of the season.

Kratky was a linesman for the match, while Dvoracek was the reserve official. Hlavac did not referee the match but was charged for helping to facilitate the bribes.

“Knowing it was bribes for influencing a match, he handed over money to the assistant referee and to the reserve official,” a police source said.

The main referee of the Synot-Blsany game was Vaclav Zejda. He was charged last week for allegedly taking 120,000 crowns (4,415) for rigging the match.

The other game under investigation was on March 27 between Synot and Sparta. Synot won 2-0.

Police charged a referee for agreeing to take a 175,000-crown bribe to influence the match.

Banik Ostrava have already won the first division title. There is one round of matches left in the season.

But if points from the Synot-Sparta match are awarded to Sparta, Ostrava’s crown could be in question if runners-up Sparta win their final match and Ostrava do not.

Police have asked the Football Union to hand over documents related to all matches this season, which they have agreed to do by Friday.