Saturday, 27 October 2012

Cannavaro in Napoli Match Fixing Charge


Serie A title contenders Napoli and team captain Paolo Cannavaro have been ordered by the Italian soccer federation to face match-fixing allegations.

Current and former Napoli players Gianluca Grava and Matteo Gianello and ex-Napoli assistant Silvio Giusti were also called in for questioning over the Sampdoria-Napoli match on May 16 in 2010.

Sampdoria won the match 1-0 with a goal from current AC Milan player Giampaolo Pazzini in the 51st minute. It was the final round of the season and the victory secured Sampdoria fourth place and a spot in Champions League qualifying.

Gianello and Giusti face sports fraud claims, while Cannavaro and Grava are accused of failing to report fixing.

Cannavaro is the younger brother of former Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro.

Napoli could be deducted points and the players could be banned if found guilty.

Several others were also called in for questioning over alleged fixing in the lower-division Portogruaro-Crotone match in May, 2011.

The accusations stem from an investigation by Naples prosecutors.

Gianello told Napoli prosecutors in June last year, and then confirmed to federation officials, that Giusti attempted to fix the match and asked Cannavaro and Grava to help, according to the ANSA news agency.

Cannavaro and Grava allegedly refused to take part in the fix but they did not report it.

Napoli trail Serie A leaders Juventus by three points, as the southern club chase their first title since Diego Maradona helped secure the championship in 1987 and 1990.

Four Serie A clubs were already been docked points this season for match-fixing. Siena was penalised six points, Atalanta two, and Sampdoria and Torino one each.

The federation's justice system provides two levels of sentences: The disciplinary commission's initial verdict and an appeal. Sentences can then be appealed to a national sports arbitration court, which has the final word.

Antonio Conte, the coach of Serie A champion Juventus, recently had his ban reduced from 10 months to four months by the arbitration court.

"The dynamics of sports justice are illogical," said Cannavaro's lawyer, Ruggiero Malagnini, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport's website.

"The news doesn't surprise me. It was in the air. Clarifications have been made and they will have an effect on ordinary justice. Now our focus will be on sports justice."

At least 50 people have been arrested for match-fixing since the middle of last year, with scores more under investigation by prosecutors in Cremona, Bari and Naples.

In another development, Napoli has been fined 150,000 euros ($A189,000) by European soccer's governing body UEFA for stadium failures, ignoring security directives and "inappropriate behaviour" by fans at a Europa League match.

UEFA also threatened the Italian club with closing its Stadio San Paolo for one European competition match if problems are repeated within five years.

The sanctions follow Napoli's sub-standard organisation of a home Europa League match against Swedish club AIK on September 20.

Napoli was given a November 6 deadline to provide "photographic evidence that the necessary repair work has been carried out".

Otherwise, UEFA will prohibit Napoli selling tickets in 12 sections of the main stand when it hosts Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk of Ukraine on November 8.

Napoli can appeal the sanctions to UEFA within three days.



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