Integrity in sports update: Italy's Serie B season delayed due to match-fixing scandal

This week has seen continued investigations into match-fixing in Italy, with national coach Antonio Conte possibly facing a criminal trial for his alleged involvement in match-fixing in 2011.

Another important development happened in France, with handball player Nikola Karabatic being found guilty of fraud over his role in a match-fixing scandal in May 2012. Although no jail time was given, he was fined with 10,000 euros. Other players were fined between 1,500 and 30,000 euros.

CURRENT INVESTIGATION

Italy

Italy coach Antonio Conte could face a criminal trial for his alleged involvement in match fixing in 2011. He has already served a ban for not reporting alleged match-fixing in two games involving ex-club Siena in the 2010-11 season. The former Juventus coach is among 104 people a prosecutor has requested to have charges pressed against them. The 45-year-old, who has been accused of "sporting fraud", has always denied any wrongdoing. The next step is for the judiciary to fix the date for a preliminary, closed-door hearing where a judge will decide whether to press charges, as the prosecutors have requested.

Source: "Italy boss Antonio Conte could face trial for match-fixing involvement", 7 July 2015, BBC, https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/33436856

Senegal

The encounter during the penultimate day of league 2, having resulted in a victory of AS Saloum at the expense of Ndiambour, 1-0, holds Senegalese football in suspense, with arising suspicions of match-fixing questioning the legitimacy of the game. The President of the Professional Football League has responded to this, evoking an investigation.

Source: "Saer Seck sur les matches truques - Une enquete sera ouverte", 9 July 2015, Senenews, https://www.senenews.com/2015/07/09/saer-seck-sur-les-matches-truques-une-enquete-sera-ouverte_133604.html

Turkey

The match-fixing trial of Fenerbahce Football Club Chairman Aziz Yildirim was postponed on Wednesday to September 18. The charges - which allege that Yildirim, 62, rigged games and offered payments to rival players and club officials - stem from a scandal during the 2010/11 season in Turkey’s top flight, when the Istanbul club emerged champions thanks to a four-goal difference over second-placed Bursaspor, who ended the season on the same points. Yildirim was convicted in 2012 over the same matter and served a year in jail before he was released on appeal. If he is convicted again, he will return to prison and be forced to step down as chairman, a position he first occupied in 1998.

Source: "Match-fixing trial of Turkish football chairman delayed", 8 July 2015, Anadolu Agency, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/552525--match-fixing-trial-of-turkish-football-chairman-delayed

Monday, 13 July 2015