| Lazio Captain Arrested Whilst Juventus Coach and Italian Euro 2012 Star Questioned by Police in Match-Fixing Investigation |
Italian football was in a state of disarray this morning after it emerged that police had made a series of arrests relating to a match-fixing investigation with some of the sport’s biggest names being involved.Lazio captain Stefano Mauri was confirmed as one of the players arrested as part of the investigation whilst Juventus coach Antonio Conte and Italian international defender Domenico Criscito were also being questioned by police over their involvement and knowledge in the match-fixing controversy.
Police stated that individuals involved with clubs at Serie A, Serie B, Lega Pro and at international level were all subject to being investigated and questioned. Many fear that these latest names to be linked with the investigation are only scratching the surface.
In total, 19 people were arrested by Italian police and over 30 homes were search as the investigation stepped up a gear. This is the third time in six years that a match-fixing scandal has hit Italian football and this latest episode has seen some of the biggest names to date dragged into proceedings.
In May 2006, police uncovered a huge match-fixing scandal that resulted in Juventus being relegated to Serie B, banned from the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League and stripped of their Serie A titles in 2005 and 2006, AC Milan being deducted 30 points, Fiorentina being banned from European competition for a season, Lazio being banned from 2006/07 UEFA Cup and a series of other clubs suffering punishments. Last summer, a number of high-profile players including former Italian international Giuseppe Signori and a host of current top flight players including Atalanta striker Cristiano Doni were caught up in another betting scandal.
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