Zenit deny match-fixing claims

Rangers' UEFA Cup final conquerors Zenit St Petersburg have angrily denied match-fixing allegations made in the Spanish media regarding their last-four win over Bayern Munich.

Spanish newspaper El Pais claimed a judge had forwarded information to German prosecutors which claimed a gang with links to the Russian mafia had given money to Bayern before the match earlier this year.

Zenit beat the Bundesliga outfit 4-0 in the second leg of their semi-final before getting past Rangers in the final to lift the UEFA Cup.

The Russian club have strongly denied the allegations and threatened legal action over the claims.

In a statement on their official website, www.fc-zenit.ru, they said last night: "In a selection of the media, news has popped up which refers to different Spanish sources, and directly affects FC Zenit's reputation."