Refs suspended in Italian scandal

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ROME, Italy -- Seven referees and two linesmen were suspended by the Italian Referees Association (AIA) on Thursday after being implicated in the match-fixing scandal which rocked the Serie A last season.

The decision to suspend referees Paolo Bertini, Stefano Cassara, Antonio Dattilo, Marco Gabriele, Gianluca Paparesta, Tiziano Pieri and Salvatore Racalbuto, and linesmen Marcello Ambrosino and Duccio Baglioni, was taken after public prosecutors in Naples closed their investigation on April 12 by making accusations against the officials.

Prosecutors, this time dealing with the purely legal side of the affair, named 48 people they suspected of wrongdoing.

The AIA initially reacted to the news by suspending two referees and two linesmen who were supposed to officiate at second division matches the following weekend.

Italian giants Juventus were stripped of their last two league titles and demoted to Serie B with a penalty of nine points after being found guilty of match-fixing in last summer's scandal.

AC Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina and Reggina were also implicated in the affair, but escaped with only points penalties for the beginning of the 2006-2007 Serie A season.

According to prosecutors, some of the referees handed out yellow cards to certain players, leading at times to their unavailability for future matches, especially against Juventus.

There were also a number of questionable penalty or off-side decisions made to favour the teams implicated in the scandal.

Adriano banned

Inter Milan forward Adriano was banned for two games by the Italian league on Thursday for diving to earn a penalty kick in the 3-1 home defeat to AS Roma.

Adriano fooled the referee in the 52nd minute when Roma goalkeeper Alexander Doni was called for tripping. Replays showed that Doni did not touch Adriano, however.

Marco Materazzi converted the penalty.

Inter would have clinched the title had they beat Roma and will now be without Adriano for its next two chances -- at Siena on Sunday and against Empoli the following week.

Inter are also without another forward, Hernan Crespo, who is injured.

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