ITALY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Vice president of Italy's soccer federation says Domenico Criscito will miss the Euro 2012 championships after being linked to a match fixing investigation

Record ID: 862690

  • Title: ITALY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Vice president of Italy's soccer federation says Domenico Criscito will miss the Euro 2012 championships after being linked to a match fixing investigation
  • Date: 29th May 2012
  • Summary: SLATE INFORMATION
  • Embargoed: 13th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • City:
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Crime,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAAOO98GVC2RHUD44VTLRV51TDH
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  • Story Text: Italy left back Domenico Criscito will miss the European Championships next month in order to clear his name of match-fixing allegations, federation vice-president Demetrio Albertini said on Monday (May 28).
    Police turned up at Italy's training base on Monday and warned the former Genoa player, now at Zenit St Petersburg, that he was under investigation in a wide-ranging fix probe.
    Juventus coach Antonio Conte is under investigation and Lazio captain Stefano Mauri has been arrested as part of an Italian police probe into a widening match-fixing scandal.
    The latest match-fixing probe has stunned Italy.
    Albertini told a news conference he believed Criscito was innocent but confirmed he would miss Euro 2012.
    "He is in a great hurry to clear up this situation .... this is his main objective and also that of the Italian team. He told me: 'Even if I have nothing to do with it, I am very sorry for this situation that has been created for the Federation, coach and team. I am not involved but this very unpleasant situation has been created'."
    Italian soccer was last embroiled in a major match-fixing affair in 2006 - the year the national team won the World Cup.
    Italy face Spain, Croatia and Ireland in Euro 2012 Group C in Ukraine and Poland.
    Police said searches were conducted at the homes of a number of players, trainers and administrators of clubs in Serie A, Serie B and the lower division Lega Pro on suspicion of involvement in match-fixing on behalf of international criminal organizations.
    Monday's operation was part of "Last Bet", a wider investigation into match-fixing in Italian soccer which has already seen a number of arrests of current and former Italian players.
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