Newly promoted Atalanta, along with fellow Serie A outfit Chievo Verona, were two of 18 clubs cited last month for suspected match-fixing. They received notification of their punishments at a hearing before the Italian Football Federation's (FIGC) sporting prosecutor in Rome on Wednesday. According to Reuters, last season's Serie B game between Atalanta and Piacenza came under scrutiny following reports of irregular betting patterns. This has resulted in Atalanta's veteran captain Cristiano Doni being handed a three-and-a-half-year ban, while team-mate Thomas Manfredini received a three-year ban.
Chievo chose to enter a plea bargain and was fined Eur80,000. Their punishment relates to the actions of Stefano Bettarini, who was registered with the team but never played a game. He was charged with attempting to influence the outcome of matches, entered a plea bargain and has been banned for 14 months. A range of punishments have been handed out to lower league teams, with the decisions yet to be ratified by the FIGC. The investigation began in November and has taken in 18 suspicious matches, leading to 16 arrests.
Meanwhile, a Serie A player strike has resurfaced after Italian Players' Association (AIC) president Damiano Tommasi claimed the Italian Football League has yet to sign a new collective agreement. The old agreement, concerning players’ rights, expired a year ago and the 2010-11 Serie A season was twice threatened by strikes before they were narrowly averted. The new campaign is set to kick off on August 27, but Tommasi has warned that action will be taken unless a deal is reached that suits all parties.
"Yes, the league kick-off is at risk," the former Italy and AS Roma midfielder told SkySport24. "The collective agreement needs to be signed and that needs to happen before the season can start. Even the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president (Giancarlo Abete) has said it. It would be hard for the players to not take to the pitch but we need their rights to be put in black and white, and it's not an economic question. The players are united in their intent; I've visited 90% of Serie A teams."
