Thaindian News

Rome, July 15 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Zenit St. Petersburg left-back Domenico Criscito flew to Rome Sunday to face match-fixing questions from the Italian football federation.

Criscito was dropped from Italy’s Euro 2012 squad after police visited him at the national team’s training base just days prior to the tournament and officially declared him a suspect in a match-fixing investigation.

The claims against the 25-year-old stem from his time at Serie A side Genoa, when he played alongside defender Giuseppe Sculli, the grandson of a notorious mafia boss, who is also implicated in the investigation.

The left-back has repeatedly claimed innocence, and said he has no link to the so-called Calcioscommesse sports betting scandal.

Criscito will appear in front of an Italian FA commission Monday as a person who has been named in the official police investigation, not as a defendant, and is free to play in the meantime.

A verdict is expected by the end of the month.

Criscito featured in Saturday’s season-opening Russian Super Cup match against Rubin Kazan, which Zenit lost 0-2, and is expected to play in the first league game of the season against Amkar Perm next Sunday.

Criscito had been Italy’s first-choice left-back since 2009 and played in all three of the country’s games at the 2010 World Cup. He has 25 caps and has yet to score for his country.

He joined Zenit in June 2011 and has since played 24 league games, scoring one goal.

–IANS/RIA Novosti
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