Incoming Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has been acquitted over match-fixing charges from a couple of years ago.
He is set to become the Blues’ new boss after leading Italy’s charge at this summer’s European Championships.
Today an Italian judge acquitted Conte, 46, for allegedly doing nothing to halt a 2011 match-fixing scandal while he was in charge of Italian side Siena.
The accusations against Conte were baseless, declared judge Pierpaolo Beluzzi.
Conte has always maintained his innocence, having served a four-month match ban imposed by the Italian soccer federation (FIGC), linked with the same case.
The inquiry followed alleged attempts to manipulate matches in Serie B, and the third-tier Lega Pro during the 2010-11 season, with some Coppa Italia matches also involved.
The effects of the case have been felt throughout Italian football, with more then fifty players banned for up to five years, and Atalamta and Siena incurring points deductions.
“It was a full acquittal. What matters is that for him, this story is over,” said Francesco Arata, one of Conte’s lawyers after the ruling was read out. “We talked to Conte on the phone and he was very happy.”
Conte was facing a six-month suspended ban from football, but following the acquittal is now free to fully concentrate on Euro 2016, beginning with naming the Italian squad on Wednesday,and the Premier League challenge next season.
By Steve Osborne @BlizzardSteve75
