Italian Soccer Probe into Match Fixing Leads to 17 Arrests

Italian Soccer Probe into Match Fixing Leads to 17 Arrests
Jojo Doria

Cremona, Italy

A total of 17 people, including former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni, have been arrested in Italy in an investigation into match-fixing and illegal betting on matches.

The investigation centers on a number of Serie B matches over the past two seasons, including three Atalanta matches.

There are also three Serie A matches from last season being investigated. Those matches are Brescia vs. Bari, Brescia vs. Lecce and Napoli vs. Sampdoria.

"This is not the end but just a starting point," Cremona prosecutor Roberto Di Martino said. "Let's hope it's a starting point in cleaning up the beautiful game that is football."

Former Inter Milan and Roma player Luigi Sartor, former Serie B player Alessandro Zamperini and active players Carlo Gervasoni of Piacenza and Filippo Carobbio of Spezia have also been arrested.

"One of the suspects has admitted that these operations have been going on for over 10 years," Di Martino said. "At the top of the organization are men from Singapore who are those who move the money, but the shareholders are divided from the West, to the Far East, to South America and they manage with their men how to change the outcome of football matches."

Doni was placed under investigation in June and in August he was banned from football for three and a half years by the Italian football federation's disciplinary committee. Atalanta, which was promoted to Serie A for this season, was given a six-point penalty.

Doni has maintained he is innocent.