The corruption scandal engulfing the Bundesliga shows no sign of dying down with bookmaker Oddset accusing the German Football Federation (DFB) of failing to heed a tip-off they gave on August 23 of last year.
That was just two days after SC Paderborn’s 4-2 win over SV Hamburg in the league cup — one of the four matches Berlin official Robert Hoyzer has since admitting to manipulating for a 70 000 euro purse.
Oddset maintain they sent a fax to the DFB 48 hours after the cup match but DFB president Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder denied the bookmaker’s claim.
It also came to light on Monday that the Paderborn captain, Thijs Waterink, received 10 000 euros from an anonymous backer as an incentive to defeat Hamburg in that cup tie.
”I did not know before the game that the players would be receiving this bonus,” Paderborn president Wilfried Finke told the N24 television channel.
”A man from southern Europe phoned team captain Waterink and said, ‘There is 10 000 euros as a team bonus if you win against Hamburg. If you do not we want the money back.”’
Paderborn did win with Hoyzer awarding two controversial penalty kicks and sending off Hamburg’s Belgian international Emile Mpenza.
Dutchman Waterink split the unrecorded bonus amongst his victorious team-mates.
The news that both Paderborn and Hoyzer were directly involved has caused a further shock and Finke claims it is highly likely that Hamburg also have a role to play.
”This is just the tip of the iceberg,” explained Finke.
”Since the referee and Paderborn players are involved I would also suggest that the Hamburg players be looked at too.
”To ensure a bet comes off you need all three parties involved — the winners, the losers and the referee.”
Hamburg are furious at the implication and president Bernd Hoffmann admitted legal action was being considered.
”The comments are a disgrace,” raged Hoffmann. ”We will speak with our lawyer about these claims and think about taking legal action.”
Hertha Berlin are another Bundesliga side implicated in the scandal with three of their players Alexander Madlung, Nando Rafael and Josip Simunic, named in connection with a second round cup match between Hertha and Eintracht Braunschweig on September 22 of last year.
Regional side Braunschweig won 3-2 with defender Madlung scoring an own goal in the 80th minute to seal Hertha’s defeat.
The capital club have denied that their players were involved and the trio have pleaded their innocence.
Two other lower division clubs Dresden and Chemnitz have also been mentioned in connection with match-fixing while referee Jurgen Jansen is also being investigated after he was named by Hoyzer.
Jansen was due to referee Werder Bremen’s match against Hansa Rostock on Sunday but the DFB chose to remove him before kick-off. – Sapa-AFP