Berlin: Robert Hoyzer, the referee at the centre of Germany’s match-fixing scandal, was driven by money to rig games and also relished the sense of power, the alleged ringleader of the fraud told a court on Tuesday.

“He is money-crazed. I am a gambler,” said Ante Sapina, who prosecutors say led a criminal gang that defrauded over two million euros ($2.4 million) from betting agencies.

“We were like-minded people,” he continued.

Referees Hoyzer and Dominik Marks, along with former first division player Steffen Karl are charged with organised fraud for seeking to rig a series of matches from April to December 2004 on instructions from Sapina, aided by his brothers Filip and Milan.

Ante Sapina, who has admitted the charges against him are essentially true, said last week that Hoyzer had offered his services to fix matches for their mutual benefit.

In his most high-profile game in charge, Hoyzer helped regional league side Paderborn come from two goals down to score a shock 4-2 victory over first division Hamburg SV by awarding two dubious penalties and sending off Hamburg striker Emile Mpenza.

Sapina said Hoyzer celebrated the result that gave Sapina a profit of more than 750,000 euros ($896,500) and Hoyzer a 20,000 euro reward. Hoyzer was by then a regular at a central Berlin cafe owned by Milan.

“He was pleased that he had this power on the pitch,” Sapina told the court.

Hoyzer has already been banned from refereeing for life by the German football association for his leading role in a scandal that has embarrassed the nation’s soccer authorities as they prepare for next year’s hosting of the World Cup.