Spanish media reported on Thursday that the country's police had intercepted telephone calls between Tambov gang leaders Gennady Petrov and Leonid Khristoforov during which they bragged about fixing Zenit's 4-0 victory in their 2nd leg semi-final UEFA Cup tie against Bayern Munich, as well as 'securing' the club's 2-0 win in the final against Glasgow Rangers.
"Lots of people in Europe don't like the fact that Russian soccer is growing stronger," Mutko said. "We have started to take our place among the world leaders, and this doesn't sit well with a lot of people."
"I was at that game [the Bayern match]," he told Sovetski-Sport. "World champions were playing, great players - [Oliver] Kahn, [Luca] Toni, Ze Roberto. How can you buy them? It's impossible. It's just another attempt to belittle the merits of Russian soccer."
The legendary German keeper Oliver Kahn retired from soccer at the end of last season, and had often stated that he dreamt of taking his bow in the UEFA Cup final.
"If this is confirmed, for me it would be a personal tragedy," Mutko commented. "I cannot believe that people like Kahn throw matches. If that's the case, then all of our values, both personal and human, everything that we believe in, is dead."
He also said that he was sure that the German club and Zenit would unite on the legal front to clear both their names.
He also reiterated that while Russian soccer had had problems with match-fixing in the past, the situation was improving, and that a number of "key figures" had been removed from the sport.
"All of this is a soap opera that Zenit have been dragged into," Mutko said. "We are supporting the club, and we will be in touch with UEFA. This is just disgraceful."
The Tambov gang hails from St. Petersburg and takes its name from the city in southwest Russia that its founders were born in. It is thought to have several hundred active members.
