Lazio captain Stefano Mauri has been banned for six months for alleged involvement in match-fixing.

The punishment was yesterday handed down by the disciplinary commission of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) after the organisation’s prosecutor initially recommended a 54-month sanction for the player’s alleged failure to report his knowledge of match-fixing.

The accusations related to Lazio’s league games against Genoa and Lecce in May 2011, but five men including Mauri were yesterday cleared of wrongdoing in relation to the Genoa fixture.

Prosecutor Stefano Palazzi also requested a six-point deduction for the Rome club but that was dismissed in favour of a €40,000 fine. Lecce were fined €20,000 while Genoa were cleared.

The punishments were an-nounced in a FIGC press release yesterday morning.

Mauri, now 33, played as Lazio beat Genoa 4-2 in Rome on May 14, 2011 and eight days later the midfielder featured in a victory by the same scoreline at Lecce.

The three clubs were subject to disciplinary action for their objective liability in the alleged actions of eight players: Mauri, Massimiliano Benassi, Mario Cassano, Stefano Ferrario, Carlo Gervasoni, Omar Milanetto, Antonio Rosati and Alessandro Zamperini.

Zamperini, who was already serving a five-year ban, was yesterday suspended for a further two years but cleared in connection to the Genoa game together with Benassi, Milanetto and Rosati, but Ferrario was banned for six months and Cassano four months.

Mauri’s lawyer Amilcare Buceti told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “We have witnessed a decision which still leaves us feeling bitter because the penalty was imposed due to circumstantial evidence. It is not supported by any objective source of evidence.

“It remains an incomprehensible error of judgment from the disciplinary commission since there is no evidence in the slightest of Stefano Mauri’s connection to the allegations.”

The news follows last month’s issuing of a 43-month ban to Torino goalkeeper Jean-Francois Gillet for his alleged involvement in match-fixing at former club Bari. The Belgian subsequently failed to have his FIGC sentence reduced on appeal.

Bari submitted a plea bargain to receive a fine and a one-point penalty for the forthcoming Serie B season.

Serie A clubs Sampdoria, Atalanta, Torino and Siena all started the 2012-13 season with points deductions for their alleged involvement in match-fixing while Juventus coach Antonio Conte served a four-month ban for allegedly failing to report knowledge of fixing during his time at Siena.

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