FIFA president Sepp Blatter has called for professional referees to be introduced throughout football to help eradicate the type of match-fixing scandal which is currently afflicting German football.

German referee Robert Hoyzer recently admitted to fixing four matches for financial gain, and Blattter believes that the problem could be averted if match-officials were employed on a professional basis.

“Professional referees seems to be the solution,” Blatter said in an interview with magazine Kicker. “I have been saying this for ten years.

“If you make all referees professional it is a job and when you go to the work place you do not try to cheat anyone.”

The English and French leagues currently employ professional referees but the leagues in Germany, Italy and Spain do not.

“There is so much money circulating in professional football and there is enough left over to pay the officials accordingly,” added Blatter.

“The salary would depend on what league a referee officiates in but I think a cap of €100,000 a year is realistic.”