Bosnian ref appeals match-fixing life ban

The Bosnian referee found guilty last week of match-fixing by UEFA is to appeal against his life ban, European football's governing body said.

Novo Panic, 30, was kicked out of the game on Wednesday after a German police investigation into European football's worst ever match-fixing scandal involving 200 suspect games in nine countries.

News of the affair broke last November when prosecutors in Bochum revealed that a 200-strong band operating across Europe was suspected of rigging matches in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Austria.

By bribing players, coaches, referees and officials to influence matches, the gang is thought to have earned as much as 10 million euros (15 million dollars) in huge bets with bookmakers in Europe and Asia, primarily in China.

The games include three Champions League ties, 12 matches in the Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup and one qualifying game for the under-21 European championship. All took place this season.

"Without doubt this is the biggest scam there has ever been in European football," UEFA's match-fixing specialist Peter Limacher said last November.

Escaped sanction

Aside from Panic, a Croatian assistant referee, Tomislav Setka, was suspended until June 2011, while a third official targeted by the inquiry, Ukrainian referee Oleg Oriekhov, was handed a 30-day provisional ban with his case set to be heard on March 18.

A fourth referee, Bulgarian Anton Genov, who was under investigation for a seperate probe involving illegal betting, escaped sanction.

UEFA stressed that this week's punishments to Panic, Setka and Oriekhov were independent of any possible sanctions eventually imposed by German investigators.