Chievo fined and Serie B player banned

03 August 2011 17:30

Serie A team Chievo were fined 80,000 euros on Wednesday for their role in the calcioscommesse betting scandal that has blighted Italian football all summer.

Vittorio Micolucci, a defender with Serie B side Ascoli, struck a deal with prosecutors and received a reduced ban of 14 months.

Another seven people have also been banned from football.

Chievo are one of two Serie A sides in the dock in Rome over the football betting scandal, the other being newly-promoted Atalanta.

There are 18 teams, including two amateur sides, and 26 people including players, former players, presidents and directors due to be judged by federal prosecutor Stefano Palazzi.

The scandal came to light at the end of last season following the revelation of an investigation by the Prosecutor of Cremona that started in November 2010.

Chievo were fined over the behaviour of Stefano Bettarini, who was registered on their books as a player in a publicity stunt -- he never actually played for the club.

Bettarini had retired from football in 2005 and had not played since, instead forging a career in television, but joined Chievo in October 2010 as a player but apparently to act as a consultant.

He was charged with trying to manipulate matches to fix bets and was banned for 14 months.

Micolucci's ban is for association with illicit betting activities but was reduced from the three years requested by prosecutors due to his collaboration with investigators.

The biggest bans so far, of three years, were handed to Gianfranco Parlato, a coach at third division Viareggio, and Gianluca Tuccella a player at amateur side Cus Chieti.

Federico Zaccanti, a player with third division Virtus Entella, and Ivan Tisci, who is currently without a team, were both hit with year-long bans.

Claudio Furlan of third division Portogruaro was suspended for six months while sports director Mauro Gibellini of Verona, also in the third division, has been banned for five months and fined 10,000 euros.

The best known individual caught up in the scandal is former Italy and Lazio striker Guiseppe Signori, accused of being one of the heads of the criminal gang fixing matches.

Source: AFP