Ukrainian referee Oleh Orekhov must serve a life ban from football for alleged involvement with a match-fixing crime syndicate.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed Orekhov's appeal against his expulsion by European football authority UEFA.
CAS said that the referee had "repeated contacts" with members of a criminal group involved in match-fixing and betting fraud.
The case against Orekhov centered on evidence provided by German police in Bochum, who are leading Europe's biggest-ever investigation into organized match-fixing.
The ruling alleges that Orekhov was offered "approximately $67,000" to manipulate a Europe League match between FC Basel and CSKA Sofia in November 2009. FC Basel was awarded a first-half penalty to take a 2-0 lead and eventually won 3-1.
compiled from agency reports
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed Orekhov's appeal against his expulsion by European football authority UEFA.
CAS said that the referee had "repeated contacts" with members of a criminal group involved in match-fixing and betting fraud.
The case against Orekhov centered on evidence provided by German police in Bochum, who are leading Europe's biggest-ever investigation into organized match-fixing.
The ruling alleges that Orekhov was offered "approximately $67,000" to manipulate a Europe League match between FC Basel and CSKA Sofia in November 2009. FC Basel was awarded a first-half penalty to take a 2-0 lead and eventually won 3-1.
compiled from agency reports