Skip to main content

Napoli wins match-fixing appeal

January 17, 2013 -- Updated 2221 GMT (0621 HKT)
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.
May 23, 2013 -- Updated 1052 GMT (1852 HKT)
The logo of FC Bayern Muenchen is pictured on the hood of an Audi A1 during a promotional event at the Audi factory on August 21, 2010 in Ingolstadt, Germany. Luxury-car manufacturer Audi turned cars over to the players of FC Bayern Muenchen.
When Germany's two biggest soccer clubs go head-to-head in the Champions League final, there can only be one winner: German industry.
May 22, 2013 -- Updated 1356 GMT (2156 HKT)
The Bundesliga model of sustainability is very much in vogue. But are Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund creating a dangerous duopoly?
May 23, 2013 -- Updated 1106 GMT (1906 HKT)
Bayern Munich super fan Boris Becker takes a tour of London ahead of the 2013 Champions League final.
May 23, 2013 -- Updated 1015 GMT (1815 HKT)
CNN takes an exclusive look at the venue of the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund tease
CNN's Pedro Pinto gives his analysis of the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
May 17, 2013 -- Updated 1710 GMT (0110 HKT)
David Beckham embraced his tag as a "gay icon" and has been credited with breaking the big taboo -- homosexuality in football.
May 13, 2013 -- Updated 0750 GMT (1550 HKT)
'King' Alex Ferguson is quitting Manchester United but the $3.17 billion brand will survive, according to experts.
May 7, 2013 -- Updated 1418 GMT (2218 HKT)
Italian football lags behind its other European rivals commercially, but newly-crowned Italian champions Juventus is showing Serie A clubs an example of revival.
April 24, 2013 -- Updated 1434 GMT (2234 HKT)
Luis Suarez's biting of Branislav Ivanovic is the latest episode of moments of madness when soccer stars behave badly.
March 29, 2013 -- Updated 0938 GMT (1738 HKT)
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.
March 28, 2013 -- Updated 1558 GMT (2358 HKT)
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.
May 6, 2013 -- Updated 1201 GMT (2001 HKT)
Referees across Europe are feeling the heat. Insulted, threatened, chased off the field, attacked, hospitalized and, tragically, killed.
February 26, 2013 -- Updated 1225 GMT (2025 HKT)
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?
February 26, 2013 -- Updated 1424 GMT (2224 HKT)
No Englishman has won the EPL title in over 20 years, while a leading manager reveals that English coaches are now "not respected abroad."
May 13, 2013 -- Updated 0933 GMT (1733 HKT)
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.
March 5, 2013 -- Updated 1123 GMT (1923 HKT)
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.
February 19, 2013 -- Updated 1902 GMT (0302 HKT)
Football's world governing body FIFA has confirmed it will use goal-line technology at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
February 19, 2013 -- Updated 1403 GMT (2203 HKT)
Match-fixing has become a worldwide issue, with hundreds of matches under investigation -- but how do you actually fix a football game?
February 18, 2013 -- Updated 1700 GMT (0100 HKT)
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.
February 11, 2013 -- Updated 2231 GMT (0631 HKT)
The wealth of owners like Chelsea's Roman Abramovich often fuels success, but for other clubs such backers prove a mixed blessing.
January 30, 2013 -- Updated 1342 GMT (2142 HKT)
The Secret Footballer reveals the complex issues surrounding racism in the English Premier League.
ADVERTISEMENT