Italian champions Inter are alleged to have thrown away
matches towards the end of last season in order to increase
Scudetto odds, according to a damning report released by the
Italian Public Ministry and published in Friday's edition of Il
Giornale.
The Milan-based paper leads with the headline: "Public Ministry:
Inter Threw Away Games To Help Facilitate Gambling Bets."
The report claims the Nerazzurri, who eventually won the title
on the last day of the season, drew and lost games in order to
increase gambling odds regarding last season's Scudetto race.
In Particular, the report focuses on games from week 24
onwards where a number of betting agencies stopped taking bets on
Inter winning the Scudetto.
The enquiry was carried out by Police at the request of the
Public Ministry who are investigating allegations regarding
a series of phone calls between the then Inter coach Roberto
Mancini and a Mafia associate called Domenico Brescia.
Brescia is an Inter fan and he already faced the Italian justice
system regarding allegations of drug dealing. The report also
highlights a number of different incidents during games and alleges
that Zlatan Ibrahimovic's return from injury was postponed on
purpose.
In addition, there are claims that Julio Cruz was told to leave
the penalty in the penultimate game of the season against Siena to
Marco Materazzi who missed, and the game ended 2-2. This meant the
gap between Inter and Roma on the final day of the season was just
one point.
Ibrahimovic returned from injury on the final day of the season
to help Inter win against Parma and lift the Scudetto.
These claims are likely to rock the Nerazzurri as another
scandal hits the Italian game.
