52 players charged and 33 matches under scrutiny as Serie A teams Atalanta, Siena and Novara called before tribunal.As Italy gears up for its tilt at the
Three teams in Serie A, Italy's top flight, Atalanta, Siena and Novara, are among 22 clubs set to face trial this month before a sporting tribunal, accused of rigging matches, the Italian football federation said on Wednesday.
European football championships in June, a growing match-fixing scandal at home is once again threatening to shatter the reputation of its game.
The trial, in which 52 players are charged and 33 matches are under scrutiny, is the biggest development to date in an ongoing investigation that could yet see more of the biggest names in the game charged.
In 2006 Serie A giants Juventus were relegated and stripped of two league titles following an investigation into referee influencing.
The fresh allegations mostly cover games played in the second tier, Serie B, in recent seasons. Atalanta, Novara and Siena were all playing in that division at the time, as were former European Cup finalists Sampdoria, also in the dock.
A list of charges released by the federation makes frequent reference to a Balkan betting gang known as the Gypsies which allegedly bribed players to throw games or ensure a certain number of goals were scored, with payments ranging from €5,000 (£4,000) to €35,000. The tribunal is also expected to punish players who knew about but failed to report match fixing, even if they did not participate.
Players on trial include Luigi Sartor, the former Inter Milan, Parma, Roma and Ternana defender.
The federation is working with evidence based on wiretaps and confessions provided by magistrates in Cremona who are mounting their own investigation ahead of a possible criminal trial. Using evidence handed over last year, the federation has already docked Atalanta six points and banned former Atalanta idol and Italian international Cristiano Doni for three and a half years. Giuseppe Signori, who has played forLazio and Italy, was banned for five years.
As this year's Serie A season concludes, Novara are already due to be relegated back to Serie B, but if Siena are docked points they risk the same fate.
In coming weeks the federation is likely to send more teams to trial based on further evidence from Cremona, – which could implicate top sidesGenoa and Lazio, according to press reports – and from Bari, where prosecutors are looking into allegations that players at local club Bari were paid €230,000 to throw a crucial Serie A game against Lecce last year. Bari player Andrea Masiello deliberately scored an own goal in that game. Napoli, who were defeated by Chelsea in this season's Champions League, are at the centre of an investigation by Naples magistrates.
Prosecutors are also reportedly considering questioning former Siena manager Antonio Conte who this season led Juventus to their first Serie A title since the club's 2006 relegation – their 28th title.
The club's president, Andrea Agnelli, has courted controversy by claiming the club has now won 30 titles, while players celebrating drank from bottles of champagne labelled with the number 30, deliberately ignoring the fact that two of those titles were officially stripped away in 2006.
In the wake of the so-called Calciopoli scandal that year, Italy went on to win the World Cup, with many national team players lifting their game in the face of the pressure brought by the investigations into their clubs.
It is unlikely that the national side heading for Poland and Ukraine this summer will feature players who face trial, but with the first trial due to end just before the tournament and a second likely to start just after, the team will be expected to turn around the damaged reputation of Italian football.
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| Cristiano Doni admits match fixing |
European football championships in June, a growing match-fixing scandal at home is once again threatening to shatter the reputation of its game.
The trial, in which 52 players are charged and 33 matches are under scrutiny, is the biggest development to date in an ongoing investigation that could yet see more of the biggest names in the game charged.
In 2006 Serie A giants Juventus were relegated and stripped of two league titles following an investigation into referee influencing.
The fresh allegations mostly cover games played in the second tier, Serie B, in recent seasons. Atalanta, Novara and Siena were all playing in that division at the time, as were former European Cup finalists Sampdoria, also in the dock.
A list of charges released by the federation makes frequent reference to a Balkan betting gang known as the Gypsies which allegedly bribed players to throw games or ensure a certain number of goals were scored, with payments ranging from €5,000 (£4,000) to €35,000. The tribunal is also expected to punish players who knew about but failed to report match fixing, even if they did not participate.
Players on trial include Luigi Sartor, the former Inter Milan, Parma, Roma and Ternana defender.
The federation is working with evidence based on wiretaps and confessions provided by magistrates in Cremona who are mounting their own investigation ahead of a possible criminal trial. Using evidence handed over last year, the federation has already docked Atalanta six points and banned former Atalanta idol and Italian international Cristiano Doni for three and a half years. Giuseppe Signori, who has played forLazio and Italy, was banned for five years.
As this year's Serie A season concludes, Novara are already due to be relegated back to Serie B, but if Siena are docked points they risk the same fate.
In coming weeks the federation is likely to send more teams to trial based on further evidence from Cremona, – which could implicate top sidesGenoa and Lazio, according to press reports – and from Bari, where prosecutors are looking into allegations that players at local club Bari were paid €230,000 to throw a crucial Serie A game against Lecce last year. Bari player Andrea Masiello deliberately scored an own goal in that game. Napoli, who were defeated by Chelsea in this season's Champions League, are at the centre of an investigation by Naples magistrates.
Prosecutors are also reportedly considering questioning former Siena manager Antonio Conte who this season led Juventus to their first Serie A title since the club's 2006 relegation – their 28th title.
The club's president, Andrea Agnelli, has courted controversy by claiming the club has now won 30 titles, while players celebrating drank from bottles of champagne labelled with the number 30, deliberately ignoring the fact that two of those titles were officially stripped away in 2006.
In the wake of the so-called Calciopoli scandal that year, Italy went on to win the World Cup, with many national team players lifting their game in the face of the pressure brought by the investigations into their clubs.
It is unlikely that the national side heading for Poland and Ukraine this summer will feature players who face trial, but with the first trial due to end just before the tournament and a second likely to start just after, the team will be expected to turn around the damaged reputation of Italian football.
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