Seven referees were temporarily suspended by the Italian
referees association Thursday in Italy's ongoing soccer
scandal.
The suspensions were made in response to the conclusion of an
investigation by prosecutors in Naples last week, which uncovered
new match-fixing allegations.
"The decision was made in light of the recommendations at the
end of the preliminary investigation by the Naples court," the
Italian referees association said in a statement.
The referees were suspended pending an investigation by Italian
sports authorities. They are Paolo Bertini, Stefano Cassara,
Antonio Dattilo, Marco Gabriele, Gianluca Paparesta, Tiziano Pieri
and Salvatore Racalbuto. Two linesmen, Marcello Ambrosino and
Duccio Baglioni, were also suspended.
Juventus was relegated to Serie B and four clubs were penalized
in Serie A this season for conspiring with referees to fix games in
the 2004-05 season.
(China Daily via AP April 20, 2007)