German referee Juergen Jansen has denied any involvement in the country’s match-fixing scandal and claimed that he was the victim of a witch-hunt.
“My children can’t go to school, they’re being spat on and chased around,” the 44-year-old Jansen said.
“It’s like a witch-hunt in the Middle Ages.
Jansen is under suspicion of fixing two matches, including the Bundesliga game between Kaiserslautern and Freiburg in November last year, but he denies the charge.
“I have never, ever tried to influence a match,” Jansen said.
“I have never been asked to influence a match. I have never done it in my life.
“I’m totally convinced that none of the 22 referees in the Bundesliga ever intentionally made a wrong call.
“We are a team, a first class team. There are no ifs or buts about that.
“But referees make mistakes – that’s part of football. We are anything but error-free. I have to make an instant decision. I can’t drink a cup of coffee and watch a replay five or six times.”
The suspicions against Jansen arose after he was mentioned by Robert Hoyzer, a fellow referee who has already confessed to being involved in fixing matches.
