30th May, 2012
Italy’s Prime Minister, Mario Monti, believes domestic football in the country needs a break of “two to three years” to allow the sport cleansed of match-fixing.
A second match-fixing scandal in six years is currently gripping Italy, with the latest probe carried out by Cremona prosecutors, resulting in the arrest of 19 people, among them Lazio captain Stefano Mauri.
Also among those under investigation is Italy international Domenico Criscito, who was considered a certainty to make the Azzurri’s Euro 2012 squad but was dropped.
“We must reflect and evaluate if it would not be useful to have a total suspension of the game for two to three years,” Monti told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“This is not a government proposal, but it is something that I, who have been for many years a football fan, feel inside me.
Earlier this month, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) released a comprehensive 48-page list naming 22 clubs along with 61 individuals that have been reported to the football authorities in connection with a match-fixing ring and betting investigation.