The main trial with the former vice-chairman of the Football Association of the Czech Republic, Roman Berber, who, along with other people, faces indictment for corruption in influencing football matches, 16. April 2023 Pilsen. Roman Rogoz.
Pilsen – The former sports director of the Slavoj Vyšehrad club Roman Rogoz, one of the main defendants in the football corruption case surrounding the former vice-chairman of the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR) Roman Berber, pleaded not guilty today at the Pilsen District Court. He denied bribing referees to help his club win in 2019 and 2020. He also categorically denied that there was any criminal organization in football that would influence the matches. According to the indictment, however, Rogoz, with Berbro's help, tried to obtain advantages for Vyšehrad by changing referees and bribes, so that the club would advance to the second league.
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“There was no group in the FAČR that would watch over the referees and tell them what to do. And there was no group of referees that would do custom work either. There was no criminal organization, and certainly not among those who were in it according to the indictment. ” Rogoz read from a prepared statement. According to him, information spreads very quickly in football, and if any organized match-fixing took place, everything would quickly become public.
Before Rogoz analyzed the individual matches, which, according to the indictment, he influenced by giving or offering bribes, he talked about Berbro. “Roman Berber's position in football was strong and permeated in all directions. I don't know a weakness he had in football,” said Rogoz. He had no personal contacts with Berber, he only bought a car from him. Rogoz admitted that he had asked for a change of referees several times in the past, but it was nothing unusual, it happened regularly in football. However, he denied that he would like to change the referee in order to influence the match in favor of Vyšehrad.
He then discussed in detail the individual matches that, according to the public prosecutor, he influenced. For example, he admitted that he wanted to change the referee for the match with Živanice, but not to influence the match, but because the match in Živanice was always very hostile towards the opponent and towards the referees. He said he therefore wanted an experienced referee who could handle the heated match and not succumb to the pressure of Živanice. According to him, co-defendant Robert Hájek was such a referee, who had experience as a former league referee and managed the match.
Rogoz admitted that in some cases he handed over money, but he always justified it as something other than a bribe. For example, in the match between Vyšehrad and Vltavín, according to the indictment, he offered a bribe of more than one hundred thousand to the then captain of Vltavín, Martin Uvír, so that he would not play to his full potential. But Rogoz explained the money as a deposit for Uvír's contemplated transfer to Vyšehrad.
He explained the handing over of 30,000 crowns in the match between Vyšehrad and Ústí nad Orlicí by giving the money to the referees to go out for a meal. “All years it is customary that when the referees go somewhere alone, the head referee pays. That's why I gave 30,000 as a meal allowance after the match. It was more profitable to give the money to the referees than to sit down with them for dinner. Maybe I offered a lot, but in I was under pressure at the time,” Rogoz admitted. However, he completely denied that he offered a bribe about ten days before the match, as another defendant, former referee Tomáš Grímm, who cooperates with the prosecutor, testified. of the second league, is the most serious part of the indictment. The state representative accuses Berbra of being the head of this group and using his dominant position in the FAČR and influencing the appointment of referees at the Slavoj Vyšehrad match according to Rogoz's demands. According to the indictment, Berbr did this to strengthen and maintain his influence in the association. He faces up to twelve years in prison. The public prosecutor indicted 21 people and the Slavoj Vyšehrad club in the case.
