Germans demand stiff sanctions

BERLIN: German coaches and officials on Saturday demanded stiff sentences for members of a ring suspected of having fixed or tried to rig at least 200 matches across Europe, including three in the Champions League.

German police said on Friday they had dismantled a gang with more than 200 suspected members operating in nine European leagues.

"We will punish these people. They do not belong to us any more," German soccer federation chief Theo Zwanziger said, adding prison sentences could await the main culprits just like those convicted in a 2005 match-fixing affair involving referee Robert Hoyzer.