Former deputy head of Czech soccer association gets suspended sentence in a match-fixing scandal

PRAGUE (AP) — Former Czech Football Association deputy head Roman Berbr and other soccer officials were sentenced for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal on Wednesday.

According to the verdict issued by the county court in the western Czech city of Plzen, Berbr was convicted of embezzlement and received a three-year suspended sentence and a 2 million Czech crown fine ($86,500). Roman Rogoz, the former sports director of the Slavoj Vyšehrad club, was given a four-year prison term and 400,000 Czech crown ($17,000) fine while former player and soccer official Michal Káník got 2 1/2-years suspended sentence and and a fine of 130,000 Czech crowns ($5,600).

Another of the four key defendants in the case, former referee Tomáš Grimm, was cooperating with the law enforcement authorities and previously received a suspended sentence.

The prosecution demanded jail terms for Berbr and Káník and can appeal the decision.

Altogether, 16 people were convicted of of bribery, embezzlement and participation in an organized crime group that was involved in fixing at least 10 matches in 2019 and 2020 in the second and third-tier leagues and were mostly fined and banned from activities in soccer Wednesday.

Four others previously received sentences.

The scandal broke in October 2020 when Czech police raided the association headquarters and other places as part of a corruption and match-fixing investigation, targeting referees and soccer officials.

Berbr, who resigned from his association post following the raids, remained in police custody for three months.

He pleaded not guilty.

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