Skip to main content

Napoli wins match-fixing appeal

updated 5:21 PM EST, Thu January 17, 2013
Napoli captain Paolo Cannavaro has had his six-month ban overturned following the announcement.
Napoli captain Paolo Cannavaro has had his six-month ban overturned following the announcement.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Napoli has won it's appeal against the two point deduction for match-fixing
  • Players Paolo Cannavaro and Gianluca Grava both have six-month bans overturned
  • Former goalkeeper Matteo Gianello admitted he attempted to fix the club's game with Sampdoria in 2010.
  • Club must pay $67,000 following decision of the court

(CNN) -- Napoli has had a two-point deduction for match-fixing overturned following a successful appeal.

The Serie A club was hit with the punishment following former goalkeeper Matteo Gianello's admission that he attempted to fix the club's game with Sampdoria in 2010.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) judged that Napoli were "objectively responsible" for Gianello's actions.

Napoli hit with match-fixing related points deduction

The FIGC also handed out six-month bans to defenders Paolo Cannavaro and Gianluca Grava for failing to report the approach, although both have had their suspensions lifted following the ruling.

Eaton talks match fixing
Schmeichel: Spain has best national team
Limited resources
HIDE CAPTION
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
>
>>
High flyer: Cape Verde\'s \'Special One\' High flyer: Cape Verde's 'Special One'

Napoli will now pay a $67,000 fine, while Gianello has had his ban reduced from 39 months to 21.

The restoration of those two points also means Napoli are now joint second alongside Lazio in Serie A and just three points behind leaders Juventus.

A statement from the FIGC Thursday said: "The two-point penalty deduction has been annulled and Paolo Cannavaro and Gianluca Grava have been acquitted.

"Napoli will now pay a fine of 50,000 euros.

"There are acquittals for Paolo Cannavaro and Gianluca Grava, while the disqualification of Matteo Gianello has been reduced from three years and three months to one year and nine months.

"These are the decisions of the Federal Court of Justice following appeals against the judgments made by the Naples branch of the disciplinary committee on match-fixing."

Soccer players' union FIFPro to launch match-fixing hotline

The news came as a welcome relief for defender Cannavaro, who said he head been through "hell" since the original verdict was announced on December 18.

He told the club's official website: "It's an immense feeling of joy and I'm still crying with the emotion. It was a terrible month, hell. Now this is a release.

"I was in a really bad way. I won't be able to forget what I went through this month. I thank all those who were close to me.

"I want to thank the club for all that they did, the coach and my team-mates that have consoled me every day."

Pep Guardiola has been on a year-long sabbatical in the U.S. after stepping down as Barcelona coach, but he returned to Europe in January for the Ballon d'Or when he was shortlisted for FIFA's world coach of the year award. Pep Guardiola has been on a year-long sabbatical in the U.S. after stepping down as Barcelona coach, but he returned to Europe in January for the Ballon d'Or when he was shortlisted for FIFA's world coach of the year award.
Time away
HIDE CAPTION
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
>
>>
The end of an era: Josep Guardiola The end of an era: Josep Guardiola
Today Manchester United has an aura of glamor and invincibility. But in 1931 and 10 years later the club's future was in peril. Today Manchester United has an aura of glamor and invincibility. But in 1931 and 10 years later the club's future was in peril.
Storm clouds
HIDE CAPTION
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
>
>>
The man who saved Manchester United -- twice The man who saved Manchester United -- twice
Mario Balotelli was mobbed by fans outside a restaurant as he returned home to Italy to complete his $30 million move from AC Milan to Manchester City. Mario Balotelli was mobbed by fans outside a restaurant as he returned home to Italy to complete his $30 million move from AC Milan to Manchester City.
Home again
HIDE CAPTION
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
>
>>
Being Balotelli: The life and times of Mario Being Balotelli: The life and times of Mario

Grava was also in an emotional state at a press conference following the announcement.

How can football tackle match fixing?

"When I heard from Paolo, we both started to cry with joy. It's the end of a nightmare," the 35-year-old said.

"It seemed like a nightmare from which I could not wake up. I'm feeling great joy and I am happy that justice has been done."

Head coach Walter Mazzarri felt the club had been vindicated for their stance and heaped praise on the duo.

He said: "First of all I am very happy for Paolo and Gianluca, two exceptionally honourable lads who were victims of a great injustice.

"I'm happy with the league table. We deserved those points because we earned them on the field. It would have been another great injustice if they had been stolen."

Juventus coach Conte has ban reduced to four months

The intense fight against match-fixing and illegal betting, which is known as 'Calcioscommesse', saw Siena deducted six points before the start of the season.

Former Siena coach Antonio Conte, now in charge of Juventus, was handed a six-month ban for his failure to report attempts to fix matches in Serie B during the 2010-11 season. The ban was subsequently reduced to four months on appeal.

.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
CNN Football Club
Be part of CNN's coverage of European Champions League matches and join the social debate.
updated 10:34 AM EDT, Wed April 24, 2013
Luis Suarez's biting of Branislav Ivanovic is the latest episode of moments of madness when soccer stars behave badly.
updated 5:38 AM EDT, Fri March 29, 2013
Former South African president and Nobel peace prize laureate Nelson Mandela joins guests at his home in Cape Town, on August 20, 2008 to celebrate his 90th birthday year, at an event organised by the Mandela Rhodes Foundation (RODGER BOSCH
Sunderland's partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation is part of its bid to woo the African market.
updated 11:58 AM EDT, Thu March 28, 2013
South African children play football in a township in Bloemfontein on June 21, 2010. South Africa will face France in their final Group A, 2010 World Cup, first round football match on June 22.
Each year as many as 700 Cameroonian young footballers leave Africa in search of a professional career abroad.
updated 8:01 AM EDT, Mon May 6, 2013
Referees across Europe are feeling the heat. Insulted, threatened, chased off the field, attacked, hospitalized and, tragically, killed.
updated 8:45 AM EST, Wed March 6, 2013
A red card for Manchester United's Nani during Tuesday's loss to Real Madrid sparks huge social media reaction.
updated 7:25 AM EST, Tue February 26, 2013
A real human brain being displayed as part of new exhibition at the @Bristol attraction is seen on March 8, 2011 in Bristol, England. The Real Brain exhibit - which comes with full consent from a anonymous donor and needed full consent from the Human Tissue Authority - is suspended in large tank engraved with a full scale skeleton on one side and a diagram of the central nervous system on the other and is a key feature of the All About Us exhibition opening this week.
Footballers have a battery of physios, fitness trainers and doctors all striving to fine-tune their physique -- but are they missing a trick?
updated 9:24 AM EST, Tue February 26, 2013
No Englishman has won the EPL title in over 20 years, while a leading manager reveals that English coaches are now "not respected abroad."
updated 5:33 AM EDT, Mon May 13, 2013
Football supporters demonstrate in front of Italian TV RAI after the match between A.C.Milan and Lazio Roma was cancelled 11 November 2007. The spectre of football violence resurged in Italy on Sunday as the shooting dead of a fan sparked nationwide disturbances which forced the suspension of several Serie A matches. Banner reads 'Racism can stop League but death of tifosi has no signification.
Hardcore Italian football "ultra" Federico is a Lazio supporter who happily admits directing monkey chants at black players.
updated 6:23 AM EST, Tue March 5, 2013
When Jupp Heynckes made his Bundesliga debut as a player in 1965, the name of Bayern Munich was a new one for the nascent German league.
updated 2:02 PM EST, Tue February 19, 2013
Football's world governing body FIFA has confirmed it will use goal-line technology at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
updated 9:03 AM EST, Tue February 19, 2013
Match-fixing has become a worldwide issue, with hundreds of matches under investigation -- but how do you actually fix a football game?
updated 12:00 PM EST, Mon February 18, 2013
U.S soccer star Robbie Rogers has "come out" as gay on the day he retired from the game, making the announcement on his blog.
updated 5:31 PM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
The wealth of owners like Chelsea's Roman Abramovich often fuels success, but for other clubs such backers prove a mixed blessing.
updated 12:40 PM EST, Thu January 31, 2013
Brand Beckham is moving from the "City of Angels" to the "City of Light" as the football icon signs a short-term deal and offers to give away his pay.
updated 7:47 AM EST, Thu January 31, 2013
Fireworks inside his own house, a car crash in his first week at Manchester City, that iconic t-shirt -- the EPL will miss Mario Balotelli.
updated 8:42 AM EST, Wed January 30, 2013
The Secret Footballer reveals the complex issues surrounding racism in the English Premier League.
updated 10:43 AM EST, Wed January 30, 2013
The death of 73 football fans in Port Said tragedy continues to haunt Egypt.
ADVERTISEMENT