Italy arrests 10 mafia suspects in football match-fixing probe
Date
5/23/2016 11:51:33 PM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Deputy prosecutor of the National Antimafia Directorate Maria Vittoria de Simone (L) and the prosecutor DDA in Naples, Filippo Beatrice (C), speak at a news conference in which they outlined details of the operation that led to the arrest ten people in Naples linked to the Camorra clan 'Vanella Grassi' in a soccer match fixing case, in Florence, Italy, 23 May 2016. EPA/CESARE ABBATE
NAPLES, Italy: Italian police have arrested 10 people on suspicion of being members of the mafia as part of a probe into football match-fixing, investigators in the southern city of Naples said on Monday.
The arrests stem from a probe into two matches in Serie B -- Italy's second-tier championship -- in 2014 that investigators say were rigged.
During the investigation, police uncovered a network linked to a local clan that primarily dealt in drugs but managed to make an illicit profit of 100,000 euros ($112,000) on one rigged match alone, investigators told a televised news conference.
"We can say with certainty that in some football teams there are people who don't just kick a ball around on a Sunday but have a series of connections they can use to turn their job into crime," prosecutor Filippo Beatrice said.
Pending their trial, seven of the suspects have been jailed and the remaining three are under house arrest.
A Serie A player is under investigation as part of the same probe but no arrest warrant has been issued for him.
The matches were allegedly organised by a young mafia boss who was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of ordering a machine-gun attack on a police barracks in a suburb of Naples.
Match manipulation has led to large-scale investigations in recent years, including a 2011 probe that led to a criminal trial of dozens of coaches and players. The future coach of English Premier League club Chelsea, Antonio Conte, was cleared last week of any role in the scandal.
AFP