BRUSSELS, May 8: The Belgian referee of a first-division match under investigation for alleged irregular betting was quoted in a newspaper on Thursday saying he had not sought to influence the result.

The Belgian Football Association is probing betting of over $1.2 million on Anderlecht’s 4-1 league win over second-from-bottom Sint Truiden last month, a key game in the race for the final Champions League spot.

“It’s hardly rare to have a bet on an Anderlecht victory. It would be more suspect if there was a massive bet on a shock by Sint Truiden,” referee Tim Pots told Belgium’s top-selling Het Laatste Nieuws. “The best proof that that there was no manipulation is that Sint Truiden had been 1-0 up.”—Reuters