Pescara have two points deducted in scandal
Reuters - Monday 18 June 2012, 13:17
Promoted Serie A side Pescara will
start next season with a two-point deduction and several lower
league players will serve hefty bans after the Italian football
federation ruled on the country's latest match-fixing scandal on
Monday.
Pescara president Daniele Sebastiani said the club, who were
Serie B champions last term before losing their coach Zdenek
Zeman to AS Roma, would fight the decision of the federation to
uphold a prosecutor's charge.
"We didn't expect this decision, rather we expected to be
acquitted," Sebastiani told reporters.
"Evidently in this first phase of the investigation the
sporting judges wanted to give strength to the prosecution's
version (of events).
"We have absolutely nothing to do with any of this, and we
will go, if we need to, all the way to CONI (The Italian Olympic
Committee)."
Piacenza's Mario Cassano, Ravenna's Alessandro Zamperini and
ex-pros Luigi Sartor and Nicola Santoni were banned from football
for five years following the wide-ranging sporting investigation
into match-fixing for betting syndicates.
A police case is ongoing.
Former Inter Milan forward Nicola Ventola, who retired last
year, was given a three-and-a-half-year ban by the federation.
Serie A sides Siena and Sampdoria were both given fines of
50,000 euros for alleged collusion while playing in
the second tier.
PLAYERS ARRESTED
The federation has, however, lessened some of the
punishments recommended by federal prosecutor Stefano Palazzi
and Novara, who were relegated to Serie B last season, will
start with a four-point deduction instead of the six suggested.
Third-tier side Albinoleffe had their potential 27-point
deduction reduced to 15, although they were also given a fine of
90,000 euros.
Serie B outfit Padova were handed a two-point deduction,
Empoli received one point and Reggina four, while third division
club Piacenza were deducted 11 and fined 70,000 euros.
Italian football was still recovering from the 2006
"Calciopoli" match-fixing scandal when the latest trouble
exploded last June.
Former Lazio striker Giuseppe Signori, Lazio captain Stefano
Mauri and ex-Atalanta skipper Cristiano Doni have been arrested
and a number of Serie B, Lega Pro Prima Divisione (third tier)
and Seconda Divisione (fourth tier) matches are suspected of
being rigged.
Juventus manager Antonio Conte has been accused by Filippo
Carobbio, one of his former Siena players, of knowing about his
team organising results in the 2010-11 season. Conte denies
wrongdoing.
Last month, police raided Italy's pre-Euro 2012 training
camp and put Domenico Criscito formally under investigation,
leading to the left back being dropped from the tournament
squad.
Top flight Atalanta stayed up last season despite a
six-point deduction for their role in the initial stage of the
scandal.