Italy captain Buffon probed for illegal gambling

Milan - Italy football captain and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was interrogated by Turin tax police for his alleged involvement in illegal gambling.

Buffon was grilled Thursday but the investigations were not related to the latest match-fixing scandal that has hit Italian football, Xinhua reports.

Buffon was reportedly engaged in illegal wagers made last year to the tune of over 1.5 million euros ($1.8 million).

“I cannot confirm this news neither can deny it,” Marco Squarcio, a tax police colonel in Turin, said.

Buffon had faced gambling allegations in the past but has always been cleared.

Earlier this week, Lazio skipper Stefano Mauri was arrested along with 14 other people, most of whom were footballers accused of receiving money to fix matches in favour of gambling groups.

Other people were also placed under investigation, including Juventus coach Antonio Conte, while Zenit Saint Petersburg defender Domenico Criscito was dropped from Italy’s Euro 2012 squad after being named in the probe.

On Thursday, former Atalanta striker Cristiano Doni took a plea bargain of further two years’ disqualification for his alleged involvement in the scandal.

The arrests were made as part of a widening investigation which has led until now to the arrest of a dozen people throughout Italy, including well-known players. The operation came five years after police uncovered a network rigging matches in Serie A and B.