Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/514194
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 20 MAY 2015 3 MATTHEW VELLA THE former president of Msida St Joseph, Robert Farrugia, and his brother Adrian, have been reportedly arrested in an Italian sting on illegal football betting. Robert Farrugia, 45, and Mosta team manager Adrian Farrugia, 34, were described as "financiers of combined bets", and were ar- rested along with 50 others, in- cluding Vittoriosa Stars's Italian head coach Arturo di Napoli and the former Italian director of Gudja United, Felice Bellini. Speaking to MaltaToday, Malta Football Association president Norman Darmanin Demajo called for "caution" and explained that the association would be getting in touch with police authorities in Malta and Italy to establish the facts and "determine how best to pro- ceed". He said anyone involved in local football and found guilty of illegal betting would be im- mediately banned by the MFA, however he warned against "rushing to conclusions" as such accusations could ruin people's lives. "If anything, such investiga- tions expose the extent of cor- ruption in football and serve as a warning to Maltese people dabbling in such illegal activi- ties," Darmanin Demajo added. Bellini, who arrived in Malta in 2013, originally formed part of an initiative to bring Ital- ian players to Qormi United in a collaboration agreement. He then moved to First Division club Vittoriosa Stars as direc- tor-general, where his compatri- ot and former Napoli and Inter striker Arturo di Napoli serves as head coach. The sting operation, dubbed "Dirty Soccer" by Italian au- thorities, was described as the umpteenth "earthquake" in Ital- ian football and risks disrupt- ing the ongoing season and the composition of next season's lower leagues. Italian daily La Repubblica re- ported that they formed part of a syndicate of people tradition- ally beyond suspicion – football players, club presidents and managers, and businessmen from Serbia, Malta, China, Ka- zakhstan, Russia and Italy – who would bet on low-tier games of the Italian Serie D and Lega pro (formerly Serie C), and also sec- ond division Serie B games. They were accused of hav- ing delinquent association for sporting fraud, and in some cases having associated with organised crime, particular- ly southern Italy's notorious Ndrangheta. The investigation in fact started from a police interest in Ndrangheta captain Pietro Ian- nazzo, who staked bets on the Neapolis football club, which eventually led them to the inter- national syndicate. The Catanzaro special mobile unit stumbled on a multi-million euro network of illegal betting where teams were designated to lose, so that they could reap the most out of football bets. Investigators suspect 28 matches from the ongoing sea- son were rigged and the sus- pected financiers being investi- gated include Serbian, Maltese and Albanian nationals. Police across Italy rounded up suspects in the early hours – including 27 team presidents and managers, 17 players, five coaches, and one police officer – and raided club offices. In recent years Italy has been rocked by a series of match-fix- ing scandals and Mafia groups have increasingly tapped into the country's legal gambling in- dustry, Europe's largest, as a way to earn and launder money. The previous scandal followed the 2010-11 season, when the results of Serie B and third divi- sion – Lega Pro – matches were discovered to have been set up. In the latest scandal, investiga- tors said there were two differ- ent criminal gangs, one to set up the games in Lega Pro and the other those in Serie D. News Former Msida president arrested in Italian sting on illegal betting Msida committee member Robert Farrugia arrested in sting on 50 footballers and managers in Italy, Malta, Kazakhstan and China Anyone in local football found guilty of illegal betting will be banned immediately – MFA MFA president Norman Darmanin Demajo Robert Farrugia (left) and his brother Adrian (right) have been reportedly arrested in an Italian sting on illegal football betting