Former Zenit St. Petersburg defender Erik Hagen says he paid referee to fix games in Uefa Cup

Eric Hagen of Zenit St Petersburg

Ex Zenit St Petersburg centre back Erik Hagen has come out claiming he paid a referee to fix a Uefa Cup game.

The Norwegian, who had played for the Russian outfit, revealed that he had paid a referee for a UEFA Cup match sometime between 2005 and 2008.

The amount paid by the 38 year old and his team mates was $3,000 each with a return guarantee of a $12,000 bonus.

Talking to the Norwegian VG, he said,”I can’t remember which match it was … I asked ‘what’s going on’ and they just said ‘You got to get used to this because that’s how it is.”

When asked if he was ready to bring UEFA’s notice into this matter he replied that he would “tell them the same thing if they ring me”.

“Someone has to be the first to do this,” he added further. “There are lots of rumours about corruption in international football.”

Upon hearing his allegations, Evgueny Gusev who is a spokesperson for the club quickly dismissed them while stressing that they respect and play the beautiful game with honesty.

“We are deeply astonished by the statement of Erik Hagen,” he said.

“Zenit has always followed and follows the principles of fair play and proves its worth only on the football field.”

Previously it was reported that Europol was looking into a matter of massive matchfixing involving several players,officials spread over numerous matches.