Atalanta’s captain, 38-year-old Cristiano Doni, has been suspended for three-and-a-half years – effectively ending his career – while retired Lazio legend Giuseppe Signori has been banned from any football-related activity for five years. Another Atalanta player, Thomas Manfredini, received a three-year ban.
A total of 17 individuals have been suspended for between one and five years. Atalanta’s fellow Serie A club Chievo Verona last week chose to enter a plea bargain and was fined Eur80,000. Their punishment related 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 was banned for 14 months.
The clubs and individuals were cited by the FIGC's sporting prosecutor following a criminal investigation into a betting scam which had initially revolved around 18 games in Serie B and Italy's lower divisions. Police said they had found evidence of an organised system among former and current footballers, sports betting operators and others to manipulate the results of a number of matches.
According to Reuters, Atalanta is likely to appeal the decision with a hearing expected before the new Serie A season kicks off on August 27. Italy’s latest match-fixing scandal comes just five years after the infamous ‘calciopoli’ saga which saw Juventus stripped of its 2005 and 2006 titles and relegated to Serie B.
