Alaska News

Lazio captain Stefano Mauri arrested in soccer match-fixing scandal

Juventus coach Antonio Conte is under investigation and Lazio captain Stefano Mauri has been arrested, along with 18 others, as part of an Italian police investigation into an expansive match-fixing scandal.

The Italian national team's training base near Florence was targeted in the raids, along with homes belonging to 30 players, coaches and administrators believed to have fixed games for an international betting ring, reported the New York Post. Conte's home was among those searched by police and defender Domenico Criscito's room was also part of the investigation.

According to Reuters, Conte is being investigated for suspicion of sporting fraud and fraudulent association related to allegations concerning a match played between his previous team, Siena, and Novara in April 2011.

As a result of the raids, Criscito decided to withdraw from the Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine that will be starting in less than two weeks time, reported CNN. Prosecutors said he was seen in a restaurant with match-fixing suspects during his time at his previous team, Genoa. Criscito has maintained his innocence.

"Criscito decided not to join Italy at the Euros. The tournament is no longer his priority, he wants to get in touch with the prosecutors as soon as possible to clear his position," said Italian Football Federation vice-president Demetrio Albertini to CNN. "We are with him, we believe in his innocence. Until no evidence is proved, he should be considered innocent."

The most recent raids were part of a long-standing investigation into "Calcioscommesse," the name given to corruption in Italian soccer, according to the Post. Seventeen players, including Cristiano Doni and Giuseppe Signori, have already been banned from playing.

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