Five charged in fixing claim
05 Jul 2008 - 14:15:51
Five Serie A players have been charged over alleged match-fixing during last season's games between Atalanta and relegated Livorno.
Atalanta's Gianpaolo Bellini and Livorno's former captain David Balleri have been charged with match-fixing.
The two sides drew 1-1 during their first meeting in December, before Atalanta won 3-2 in early May.
Meanwhile, Livorno brothers Emanuele and Antonio Filippini, plus team-mate Alessandro Grandoni, have also been reported for a failure to inform the authorities of the events.
"I don't think there was any type of agreement at all," Atalanta coach Luigi del Neri told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Atalanta played to win, as always."
Serie A is no stranger to match-fixing controversy as Lazio, Fiorentina and AC Milan were all deducted points two years ago, while Juventus were relegated for their part in a major scandal.