December 17 – Former AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, one of the most iconic figures in Italian football, is reportedly being investigated for match-fixing.
In the latest blow to hit Italian football, Gattuso, who two Serie A titles, two Champions League crowns and the 2006 World Cup with Italy during his 13-year spell with Milan, is reported to be one of five suspects arrested in an early morning police raid.
According to agency reports, 35-year-old Gattuso and Cristian Brocchi, who used to play for Lazio, were allegedly part of a ring that fixed Serie A and other Italian matches at the end of the 2010-11 season. Both had their homes searched in the police raid and reportedly face charges of criminal conspiracy and sports fraud.
Gattuso, who also played for four other clubs, was sacked as coach of Serie B Palermo in September after only two wins and a draw in the opening six games of the season.
His arrest is the latest development in Italy’s wide-scale match-fixing probe during which more than 50 people, many of them former and current players and officials, have been arrested since mid-2011, with matches under investigation by prosecutors in Cremona, Bari and Naples.
It has already resulted in lengthy bans for former Lazio captains Giuseppe Signori and Stefano Mauri, as well as former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni. Several clubs have also had points deducted.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1738773738labto1738773738ofdlr1738773738owedi1738773738sni@w1738773738ahsra1738773738w.wer1738773738dna1738773738