Prosecutors on Monday alleged
that Catania Chairman Antonino Pulvirenti confessed to paying
100,000 euros in order to keep his soccer club from being
relegated from Serie B in the season that just ended.
Pulvirenti was among seven people arrested last week in
relation to a probe into allegations the Sicilian club paid to
win matches to avoid relegation to the Pro League.
The case is the latest in a string of match-fixing
investigations to sully the image of Italian soccer in recent
years.
Prosecutor Giovanni Salvi said Monday that Pulvirenti made
the admission that he bought five matches during an
interrogation.
Salvi said last week that the probe started when Pulvirenti
turned to authorities as he feared for his safety, with hardcore
ultra fans furious at the team's form.
Meanwhile on Monday Pablo Cosentino, chief executive
officer of the Catania club and Pulvirenti's deputy, said that
he knew nothing of any payments, adding that "only a fool" would
do such a thing.
During his interrogation, Cosentino said that if it were
true that illegal payments had been made, that would represent
"the opposite of what I've always done for Catania".
Cosentino said he promoted expensive transfers of players
to strengthen the team "which was my goal, to make a strong club
to win the championship".
Catania finished 15th in Serie B last season with 49
points, two points above the danger zone, after climbing up the
standings with a run of five consecutive wins between March 29
and April 24.
Investigators believe that at least four of those wins -
3-0 at Varese on April 2, 4-1 at home to Trapani on April 11,
2-1 at Latina on April 19, and 2-0 at home to Ternana on April
24 - were fixed, along with a 1-1 draw with Livorno on May 2.
Those results enabled Catania to move up to mid table,
although their bad form returned after the winning run, and they
lost three of their last five games.
Pulvirenti, 53, was put under house arrest along with
Cosentino and the club's former director of sport Daniele Delli
Carri.
Two soccer agents and two people working in the online
gambling sector were also put under house arrest.
Investigators believe the alleged fraud may have led to
betting scams.
In total 19 people are under investigation, including
several players.
Among them are Livorno's Alessandro Bernardini, Varese's
Riccardo Fiamozzi and Trapani's Luca Pagliarulo and Matteo
Bruscaggin, plus Pietro Lo Monaco, the owner of fourth-tier side
Messina.
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