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Al-Ahram Weekly
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Udinese keeper Okoye banned for two months after match-fixing probe - Egyptian Football
Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, who had been accused of match-fixing, has been cleared of all charges but given a two-month ban by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the Serie A club said. The FIGC National Federal Court, which met on Tuesday to discuss the charge against Nigerian Okoye, "has excluded any involvement of the player in sports offences, after accepting the arguments of his lawyers", Udinese said in a statement. "During the trial, all charges of alleged sporting misconduct were dropped, and the decision to impose a two-month ban was based solely on a violation of the general principle of fairness (Article 4 of the Federal Sports Justice Code). "The club has stated that it is satisfied with the court's conclusion that the player was not involved in the infamous match-fixing theory. The club wishes to reiterate its full support for Okoye, who is awaiting the reasons for the decision. Udinese Calcio reasserts that it is firmly convinced of Maduka's proper conduct." The 25-year-old Nigerian international was alleged to have deliberately collected a booking during his team's Italian league match against Lazio in March 2024. The German-born goalkeeper received a yellow card for time-wasting, after an alleged deal reached with a friend who won 120,000 euros ($140,000) as a result of a bet. The FIGC investigation established that there was no intention to fix the match, which would have been punishable by a four-year fine. However Okoye, who has been with Udinese since 2023, will be suspended from August 18 to October 19. He will therefore miss seven of his team's matches -- six in the league and one in the Coppa Italia. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Why was Andrea Pirlo, Pep Guardiola's former club Brescia thrown out of Serie C?
Andrea Pirlo's hometown club Brescia, which featured some of the greats of the game such as Roberto Baggio, Gheorghe Hagi and Pep Guardiola, have been thrown out of Serie C after their license was revoked for failing to meet legal and financial criteria. The club was relegated to the third tier of Italian football after being docked eight points by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in May for a series of financial violations. The club's president Massimo Cellino, formerly in charge of English side Leeds United, and managing director Edoardo Cellino were handed six-month bans by an FIGC tribunal. 'At the conclusion of which the Commission found that the 'legal and economic-financial criteria' for obtaining the National License for the purpose of admission to the 2025-2026 Serie C Championship ... were not met,' the FIGC said in a media release on Thursday. Brescia was therefore not granted a licence for next season and would not be admitted to Serie C, it added. The FIGC also said Brescia had failed to pay a 1.1 million euros ($1.30 million) debt to Serie B as of January 31 and also had unpaid debts to players and coaching staff.
Kuwait Times
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Gattuso convinced Italy can qualify for World Cup
ROME: Gennaro Gattuso said Thursday he is convinced Italy can qualify for the World Cup as he begins his reign as Azzurri coach following the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti. Italy are at risk of missing out on a third consecutive World Cup after a troubled start to their qualifying campaign which has left them nine points behind Group I leaders Norway and cost Spalletti his job. Asked whether he had more hope or conviction that Italy could reach next year's finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Gattuso said: 'conviction'. 'I believe that we have good players available to us. We have four or five who are among the top 10 in the world in their position,' added Gattuso. 'We have a good team, but I do mean team, I'm not thinking about individuals. I'm convinced that the team has quality and I'm convinced that we can achieve our goal.' Gattuso has a tough job on his hands with only top spot in the group giving automatic qualification to the World Cup, even with Italy having played two fewer games than Norway. As well as the significant points gap Italy have a goal difference which is 12 goals worse than Norway, who hammered Italy 3-0 earlier in June. That leaves Italy with the play-offs, from which they failed to reach the last two tournaments, as their only realistic shot at qualification. 'We need to bring back the enthusiasm and not think negatively. My goal is to make sure that the players that come to (Italy's training center) Coverciano do so with great enthusiasm, and to create a family,' said Gattuso. 'After formations, technique and tactics the priority is to recreate that mentality that in the past has made us stand out.' Gattuso, a World Cup winner in 2006, was not the Italian Football Federation's first choice to replace Spalletti. Claudio Ranieri eventually turned down an appeal to come out of retirement, for a second time, to save his country's footballing fortunes. But Italy icon Gianluigi Buffon, now head of the national team delegation, said he believes Gattuso is capable of defying those who doubt his capabilities after an up-and-down coaching career. Gattuso, 47, was recently sacked by Hadjuk Split but has also managed AC Milan and Napoli, winning the Italian Cup with the latter club five years ago. 'I had a long playing career and every time I faced once of Rino's teams with Juventus they gave us a hard time, you had the idea that his teams had a precise identity, and that there was a lot of work and thought behind them,' said Buffon. 'It's very simple, when you're on the pitch you can tell straight away if behind the other team there is a good coach or not. And I every time I faced his Milan or Napoli team I could tell that was the case.' Gattuso will be in the dugout for the first time in September when Italy host Estonia in Bergamo before travelling to Hungary to take on Zionist entity. — AFP
NDTV
19-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Gennaro Gattuso Convinced Italy Can Reach FIFA World Cup 2026
Gennaro Gattuso said on Thursday he is convinced Italy can qualify for the World Cup as he begins his reign as Azzurri coach following the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti. Italy are at risk of missing out on a third consecutive World Cup after a troubled start to their qualifying campaign which has left them nine points behind Group I leaders Norway and cost Spalletti his job. Asked whether he had more hope or conviction that Italy could reach next year's finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Gattuso said: "conviction". "I believe that we have good players available to us. We have four or five who are among the top 10 in the world in their position," added Gattuso. "We have a good team, but I do mean team, I'm not thinking about individuals. I'm convinced that the team has quality and I'm convinced that we can achieve our goal." Gattuso has a tough job on his hands with only top spot in the group giving automatic qualification to the World Cup, even with Italy having played two fewer games than Norway. As well as the significant points gap Italy have a goal difference which is 12 goals worse than Norway, who hammered Italy 3-0 earlier in June. That leaves Italy with the play-offs, from which they failed to reach the last two tournaments, as their only realistic shot at qualification. "We need to bring back the enthusiasm and not think negatively. My goal is to make sure that the players that come to (Italy's training centre) Coverciano do so with great enthusiasm, and to create a family," said Gattuso. "After formations, technique and tactics the priority is to recreate that mentality that in the past has made us stand out." Gattuso, a World Cup winner in 2006, was not the Italian Football Federation's first choice to replace Spalletti. Claudio Ranieri eventually turned down an appeal to come out of retirement, for a second time, to save his country's footballing fortunes. But Italy icon Gianluigi Buffon, now head of the national team delegation, said he believes Gattuso is capable of defying those who doubt his capabilities after an up-and-down coaching career. Gattuso, 47, was recently sacked by Hadjuk Split but has also managed AC Milan and Napoli, winning the Italian Cup with the latter club five years ago. "I had a long playing career and every time I faced once of Rino's teams with Juventus they gave us a hard time, you had the idea that his teams had a precise identity, and that there was a lot of work and thought behind them," said Buffon. "It's very simple, when you're on the pitch you can tell straight away if behind the other team there is a good coach or not. And I every time I faced his Milan or Napoli team I could tell that was the case." Gattuso will be in the dugout for the first time in September when Italy host Estonia in Bergamo before travelling to Hungary to take on Israel.
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Gattuso convinced Italy can reach World Cup
GENNARO Gattuso said Thursday he is convinced Italy can qualify for the World Cup as he begins his reign as Azzurri coach following the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti. Italy are at risk of missing out on a third consecutive World Cup after a troubled start to their qualifying campaign which has left them nine points behind Group I leaders Norway and cost Spalletti his job. Asked whether he had more hope or conviction that Italy could reach next year's finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Gattuso said: 'conviction'. 'I believe that we have good players available to us. We have four or five who are among the top 10 in the world in their position,' added Gattuso. 'We have a good team, but I do mean team, I'm not thinking about individuals. I'm convinced that the team has quality and I'm convinced that we can achieve our goal.' Gattuso has a tough job on his hands with only top spot in the group giving automatic qualification to the World Cup, even with Italy having played two fewer games than Norway. As well as the significant points gap Italy have a goal difference which is 12 goals worse than Norway, who hammered Italy 3-0 earlier in June. That leaves Italy with the play-offs, from which they failed to reach the last two tournaments, as their only realistic shot at qualification. 'We need to bring back the enthusiasm and not think negatively. My goal is to make sure that the players that come to (Italy's training centre) Coverciano do so with great enthusiasm, and to create a family,' said Gattuso. 'After formations, technique and tactics the priority is to recreate that mentality that in the past has made us stand out.' Gattuso, a World Cup winner in 2006, was not the Italian Football Federation's first choice to replace Spalletti. Claudio Ranieri eventually turned down an appeal to come out of retirement, for a second time, to save his country's footballing fortunes. But Italy icon Gianluigi Buffon, now head of the national team delegation, said he believes Gattuso is capable of defying those who doubt his capabilities after an up-and-down coaching career. Gattuso, 47, was recently sacked by Hadjuk Split but has also managed AC Milan and Napoli, winning the Italian Cup with the latter club five years ago. 'I had a long playing career and every time I faced once of Rino's teams with Juventus they gave us a hard time, you had the idea that his teams had a precise identity, and that there was a lot of work and thought behind them,' said Buffon. 'It's very simple, when you're on the pitch you can tell straight away if behind the other team there is a good coach or not. And I every time I faced his Milan or Napoli team I could tell that was the case.' Gattuso will be in the dugout for the first time in September when Italy host Estonia in Bergamo before travelling to Hungary to take on Israel.
