UEFA bans match-fixing Ukrainian ref for life

A Ukrainian soccer referee has been banned for life for helping to fix matches.

The disciplinary panel of European soccer's governing body on Thursday banned referee Oleh Orekhov from all soccer activities.

UEFA said it used information from ongoing investigations by German police into match-fixing and corruption in the case. It said Orekhov was charged with breaching ``principles of loyalty and integrity,'' but did not specify which matches were involved.

When the scandal broke in November, UEFA identified seven suspicious games played in the Champions League and Europa League between July 16 and Aug. 6.

Fraud and organized-crime officers in Bochum, Germany, have been investigating more than 200 matches played in at least 11 countries.