Conte among 130 named in match-fixing investigation
MILAN (Reuters) - Italy coach Antonio Conte and Atalanta's Stefano Colantuono are among 130 people who face formal investigation after prosecutors concluded a four-year probe into match-fixing, the Italian news agency Ansa said on Monday.
Conte, who has already served a ban imposed by the Italian federation (FIGC) in connection with the case but has always denied any wrongdoing, was accused of "sports fraud" following the probe by prosecutors in Cremona.
The alleged wrongdoing dates back to 2011 when Conte, who went on to win three successive Serie A titles with Juventus before being appointed Italy coach last year, was in charge of Siena in Serie B.
Colantuono is being investigated over a match against Crotone in 2011, also in Serie B, Ansa said.
The 130 named in the report will be formally notified that they are under investigation which in Italy is usually the last step before the case goes to court.
Lazio midfielder Stefano Mauri, former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni and former Italy forward Giuseppe Signore were also named in the 107 page report compiled by state prosecutor Roberto Di Martino.
The investigation followed attempts to manipulate matches in Serie B, the Italian second division, and the third tier Lega Pro during the 2010/11 season, with some Copa Italia matches also involved.
Investigations have been led by police and state prosecutors from Cremona, a northern Italian city of around 70,000 people, after a report from local side Cremonense uncovered the scandal.
The FIGC has already conducted its own investigation and banned Conte for 10 months in 2012, later reduced to four months on appeal. Conte had previously rejected a plea bargain offering a three-month ban.
More than 50 players were banned for up to five years and a number of clubs, including Atalanta and Siena, have had points deducted by the FIGC over the case.
(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
