Italian match fixing scandal, which rocked the Italian Serie A last season is finally meeting resolve. Seven referees and two linesmen have been suspended by the Italian Referees Association (AIA) on account of involvement in match fixing.

According to reports, this path breaking 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 finished their investigation on April 12 by making accusations against the officials.

The biggest ever match fixing scandal to hit football - not only ruined the reputation of the game but also ruined the entertainment of the fiercely contested Serie A. It is worth mentioning in this regard that Italian powerhouse Juventus were stripped of their last two league titles and were relegated to Serie B with a penalty of nine points after being found guilty of match-fixing.

Juventus is a big football club, comparable to the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. It was quite a shame that football fans all around the globe were unable to see them in action this season just because of this scandal.

In addition, AC Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina and Reggina were also implicated in the scandal, but escaped with only point penalties at the beginning of the 2006-2007 Serie A season. At present, Inter Milan looks destined to win this year’s Serie A but it was pretty much expected because Inter was only challenged by the Roma this season.

Espnstar