Bari players linked to match fixing

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CREMONA, Italy -- A judge investigating match-fixing in Italy said "a considerable part of the Bari squad" had links to a betting ring that rigged games when the club was in Serie A last season.

Guido Salvini said in his release notes that the players who have already been questioned tried to "turn the attention to a more minor and subordinate person."

Bari nurse Angelo Iacovelli was released under house arrest Wednesday after spending four days in prison.

According to Salvini, Iacovelli was used by the players as a middle man to put them in contact with the ringleaders, who he also accompanied to meetings at hotels.

Iacovelli's testimony has implicated another Serie A game from last season. Bari's 4-0 win at Bologna was added to the investigation, joining the club's matches against Milan, Sampdoria, Roma and Palermo.

Bari was relegated last season after finishing bottom of Serie A.

Former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni and ex-Lazio captain Giuseppe Signori are among 33 people arrested in the scandal. The charges include criminal association and fraud.

Prosecutors in Cremona says the match-fixing ring is extensive, stretching as far as Singapore and South America and has allegedly been in operation for more than 10 years.