MILAN — The start of Italy’s Serie B season has been pushed back two weeks due to the Catania match-fixing scandal, which could end up altering entries for the second division.
The move from an Aug. 21 start to a Sept. 5 kickoff was made Wednesday at a league assembly.
Last week, Catania’s owner admitted to fixing five Serie B matches last season aimed at preventing the Sicilian club from relegation to the third division.
Antonino Pulvirenti also claimed to have made payoffs totalling 500,000 euros ($550,000) during his admission at a preliminary hearing. He was one of seven people arrested last month on sports fraud charges.
The five matches under investigation were played against Varese, Trapani, Latina, Ternana, and Livorno — and those clubs are also facing an inquiry.