Italian Football Club Catania Demoted To Third Tier For Match-Fixing

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said on Thursday that Catania has been demoted to the third tier of the Italian league over a match-fixing scandal in last season's Serie B, according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. The Sicilian side was also deducted 12 points this season and fined $167,415, while club President Antonio Pulvirenti was banned for five years and fined €300,000 ($336,000). Catania finished 15th in Serie B last season, two points above the relegation places, after a run of five wins in a row in March and April. The matches under investigation were the wins against Avellino, Varese, Trapani, Latina and Ternana and the draw against Livorno during that period. Pulvirenti, who also owns dozens of supermarkets and an airline, "was accused of sporting fraud and match-fixing" (REUTERS, 8/20).