The German Football Association (DFB) yesterday banned referee Robert Hoyzer for life for his central role in the country's biggest match-rigging scandal in over 30 years.

Hoyzer has admitted fixing and attempting to fix a series of matches after receiving bribes of 67,000 from a betting gang.

The DFB said that Hoyzer had agreed to the punishment, which will also prevent him from ever holding office at a club.

"Hoyzer has caused incalculable damage to German football, especially to referees," said the DFB's Rainer Koch in his ruling yesterday.

The DFB this week dropped a call for a 50,000 fine for Hoyzer but yesterday the sport's governing body in Germany said the former referee could yet face a civil claim for damages.

The most important match Hoyzer rigged was Bundesliga club Hamburg SV's loss to third division SC Paderborn in the first round of the German Cup earlier this season.

The DFB agreed a compensation package worth at least €2 million to Hamburg for the Cup exit.

Berlin prosecutors are investigating 25 people, including three other referees and 14 players, who are suspected of having manipulated at least 10 matches in 2004.

Germany is hosting the 2006 World Cup finals and the Hoyzer revelations were a huge embarrassment for the country's soccer authorities.

The DFB also announced yesterday a three-month ban for another referee, Torsten Koop, for not reporting an approach from Hoyzer quickly enough to authorities .

Koop informed the DFB in February that Hoyzer had tried to recruit him to join a betting ring during the previous month.

The DFB, unhappy at Koop's failure to come forward sooner, originally recommended a six-month ban for Koop, who has refereed in the top flight of German soccer for all but one season since 1996.