Match-Fixing Referee Granted Bail

Robert Hoyzer, the referee at the center of a match-fixing scandal in Germany, was released from prison Friday on strict bail conditions. The 25-year-old Hoyzer was placed in custody a fortnight ago amid fears that he would flee the country after admitting to manipulating soccer matches for cash. His bail terms imposed by a court in Berlin stipulate the confiscation of his passport and he has been ordered to report to police three times a week. Hoyzer admitted in January to fixing four matches for financial gain, although he is being investigated for a total of 63 matches including a UEFA Cup tie in December between Panionios of Greece and Georgia's Dinamo Tblisi in Athens. On Monday the German Football Federation announced it was planning to fine him €50,000 ($65,900) and issue him with a life ban from the German Football Federation (DFB) for gross misconduct. The affair has embarrassed Germany in the run-up to the hosting of the 2006 World Cup.