Ref who gave four penalties in one game faces FIFA match-fixing probe

Referees from Bosnia and Hungary are at the centre of a match-fixing probe by FIFA into two friendly internationals played on the same day.

Hungarian Kolos Lengyel gave four penalties in the 2-2 draw between Estonia and Bulgaria, played in the Turkish city of Antalya on February 9, just after Bosnian Srnisa Zrnic awarded three spot-kicks as Latvia beat Bolivia 2-1.

Suspicious Far East betting patterns which pre-dated the two games - promoted by Thailand-based Footy Sport International via an unlicensed Russian intermediary - caught the eye of FIFA’s Early Warning System.

But it was only after the of penalties - all seven were converted across the two games - that FIFA began an investigation which saw match-fixing charges against a total of six officials laid yesterday.

Reports in Germany suggested that up to £4.5million was gambled on-line before and during the games, forcing FA to take action.

Srnisa and his two assistants Kenan Bajramovic and Rizah Ridzalovic have already been banned for life by the Bosnian FA, having taken charge of the game without permission of the national association.

Lengyel - who has not been officially named - is not on the FIFA referees list and only takes charge of third-tier games in Hungary.

He has not taken charge of a single competitive game this season but came under fire for awarding a late penalty in the recent friendly match between Hungary’s Honved and Slovakian side Dukla Banska Bystrica.

Lengyel was also in charge of a remarkable match in Cordoba, Argentina in December, awarding Argentina a penalty in the 12th minute of extra-time against Bolivia, which brought subsequent media claims that the game had been bought on behalf of online gamblers.