Newly-promoted Atalanta's hopes of retaining their Serie A status suffered a blow Tuesday when the club was handed a six-point penalty for their part in the Calcioscommesse betting scandal.
The club's veteran captain Cristiano Doni has also been banned for three-and-half years, effectively ending the 38-year-old's career.
Former Italy and Lazio striker Guiseppe Signori, the best known figure caught up in the scandal, was banned from any football-related activity for five years by the Italian Football Federation's Disciplinary Committee.
Another Atalanta player, Thomas Manfredini, received a three-year ban.
All parties may yet face criminal charges for their part in trying to fix matches to manipulate bets.
Serie B side Ascoli suffered a six-point deduction for the coming season while former Cremonese and Benevento goalkeeper Marco Paoloni, one of the principle characters in the affair, was banned for five years.
In the third division, Ravenna were kicked out of the league system altogether while Alessandria have been relegated.
Benevento were deducted nine points, Cremonese six, Piacenza four, Reggiana two while Spezia and Taranta were penalised a point each.
Two amateur sides were also deducted points: Pino di Matteo (eight points) and Cus Chieti (one point).
Two Serie B and two third division teams got away with just fines.
There were 18 teams and 26 people including players, former players, presidents and directors in the dock over the betting scandal which came to light at the end of last season following an investigation by the Prosecutor of Cremona that started in November 2010.
The only other Serie A side implicated were Chievo but they accepted a plea-bargain last week and were hit with an 80,000-euro fine.
Source: AFP
