Italian police arrested 14 more people in connection with the match-fixing scandal that has plagued the country's soccer landscape. The total number of arrests since last year now stands at 50.
Police came to Coverciano, Italy's training site outside Florence, to pick up those who have been accused. Two police cars arrived at approximately 6:25 am local time and were there for three hours.
Among those arrested Monday were Stefano Mauri, captain of the Italian club Lazio; current Juventus coach Antonio Conte and defender Domenico Criscito, who was forced to withdraw from the Euro 2012 squad the day before rosters must be submitted.
The investigation into match-fixing began in Cremona last year. Prosecutors have detailed an extensive match-fixing ring that reaches as far as Singapore and South America.
Italy went through another match-fixing scandal only six years ago that resulted in Juventus being relegated to Serie B for a season, plus points penalties for several other Serie A teams and lengthy bans for club and refereeing officials.
Other major arrests in this year's scandal include former Lazio captain Giuseppe Signori and former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni, who was banned from the game for three and a half years.
Conte, who now manages Juventus, is under investigation for alleged wrongdoing while he managed Siena in 2010-2011. Mauri was arrested on suspicion of sporting fraud. Most of the players arrested now play in lower leagues in Italy, such as Serie B.
Aside from those arrested Monday, three people have been placed under house arrest and two others are to present themselves to authorities. Five of the arrests were made in Hungary. Former Italy striker Christian Vieri, who retired in 2009, is also among those under investigation, while Inter Milan's match against Lecce in 2001 is being examined.
In total, 22 Italian teams have been notified that they are being investigates by sports authorities, including Serie A clubs Atalanta, Novara and Siena.
Italian soccer recovered from the 2006 scandal in part due to their World Cup win later that year. Winning the sport's biggest prize can heal a lot of problems.
It is unclear how far and how deep this scandal will reach. Only time will tell how Italy will bounce back from this and what ramifications are born from another scandal.
