Former referees fined for match-fixing attempt

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Two former Czech referees were fined for their part in attempting to fix the results of a match from November of 2003. Lubomir Pucek and Jiri Vodicka were fined approximately EUR 2,400 by a Czech court.

Pucek is the current sporting manager of first division Czech football club Slavia Prague, while Vodicka was given an additional two-year ban on refereeing games. Both said they would appeal the sentences, with Pucek saying he was a "scapegoat."

The charges involve a Slovak first-division match between Banska Bystrice and Puchov in which Vodicka was the assistant referee.

Czech police used a phone tap to listen in on conversations between Pucek and Vodicka. During one conversation, Pucek told Vodicka that "70 litres of wine" were waiting for him at Banska Bystrice. Police investigators interpreted this to mean 70,000 koruna, or, EUR 2,400. They said that Vodicka seemed willing to take up the offer. Pucek and Vodicka told the court that they were joking with each other.