Italian Police Arrest President of Catania Football Club and Six Others for Match Fixing

The Italian Police today arrested the president of the Catania football club and six others, accused of buying matches in the Serie B (Second Division) championship in order to avoid relegation.

After this morning's operation, the president of the Sicilian club, Antonio Pulvirenti, and his CEO, Pablo Cosentino, were detained, according to local media.

The former sports director of the club, Daniele delli Carri, and sports agents Giovanni Impellizzeri, Piero Di Luzio, Fabrizio Milozzi, and Fernando Arbotti were also arrested.

All of them are accused of fraud and sports fraud, as some of Catania's victories in the Second Division tournament were allegedly arranged through the payment of money.

The investigation was coordinated by the Antimafia Directorate of the District (Dda) of Catania, and the Police are conducting raids in other cities such as Chieti, Campobasso, and Rome.

In an interview with SkyTg24, the president of the Serie B, Andrea Abodi, said he felt "a great pain" and called for these facts to be clarified "as soon as possible" so that, if confirmed, "the response is harsh."

"We work every day to make our context credible, so this news does a lot of damage to us... Our commitment will multiply, and I hope that things are clarified and the truth is known as soon as possible," he said.

He added, "If confirmed, I hope the response is harsh because our world is not willing to accept any kind of agreement that mortifies the sporting value of a competition."

On the other hand, he rejected the possibility of invalidating the championship. Catania finished in fifteenth place in the Second Division standings. They played in the First Division in the 2013/2014 season, from which they were relegated after finishing third to last.