Italian Premier Monti calls for soccer suspension

Under the microscope: Italian players, headed by Leonardo Bonucci, train in Parma, Italy, on Monday. AP

ROME — Premier Mario Monti suggested Tuesday that Italian soccer be suspended for two to three years after the latest match-fixing scandal rocked the national team and again tarnished the sport's image in the country just a week before the European Championship.

Dawn raids on Monday resulted in 14 arrests — including Lazio captain Stefano Mauri — to bring the total number of suspects arrested in the match-fixing inquiry to about 50 since last year. Many more have been placed under investigation.

"Football should be stopped for two to three years," Monti said on Tuesday in a powerful message to Italy's soccer authorities on the need to clean up the game. "It is not a proposal by the government but a question I am asking as someone who was passionate when football was still football."

Monti made the comments while standing beside the prime minister of Poland, which is co-hosting Euro 2012 with Ukraine starting June 8.

"I'm not making a proposal, and even less is it a proposal that comes from the government, but it's a desire that sometimes I feel inside me: That it would really benefit the maturity of us Italian citizens if this game was completely suspended for two to three years," he said.

He also ruled out the use of public money to bail out teams in difficulty.

Police swept through the Italian national squad's training camp near Florence on Monday as part of the operation and Italy defender Domenico Criscito was left off the Euro 2012 squad after he was placed under investigation.

Antonio Conte, who coached Juventus to the Serie A title this term, was also officially notified that he is under investigation for alleged wrongdoing while in charge of Siena in 2010-2011.

Apart 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.

Numerous others have had their houses searched, including Chievo Verona striker Sergio Pellissier as well as Conte and Criscito.

The investigation was started by judicial authorities in Cremona last year. It has resulted in former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni being banned from soccer for 3? years, and the arrest of former Lazio captain Giuseppe Signori.

Serie A clubs Atalanta, Novara and Siena were among the 22 Italian teams notified at the beginning of this month that they are being investigated by sports authorities.

Prosecutors in Cremona have detailed an extensive match-fixing ring stretching as far as Singapore and South America that was allegedly in operation for more than 10 years.

Italy has only recently recovered from the 2006 match-fixing scandal — known as Calciopoli — that resulted in Juventus being relegated to Serie B for a season, plus points penalties for several other Serie A teams and long bans for club and refereeing officials.

The Italian national team reacted in the best possible way, winning the World Cup that year.

PARMA, Italy — Defender Andrea Ranocchia and striker Mattia Destro were cut from Italy's final 23-man squad for the European Championship on Tuesday, while defender Leonardo Bonucci was included despite reportedly being under investigation for match-fixing.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli trimmed his provisional squad from 32 to 25 on Monday. One of the players axed was Zenit St. Petersburg defender Domenico Criscito, who was officially placed under investigation for possible match-fixing when he played at Genoa.

"It was very painful on a human level to remove Criscito from the group," Prandelli said. "But we couldn't give him the pressure of taking this story around Europe, we wanted to protect him. He immediately told me he had nothing to do with it and we believe in 'Mimmo.'

"The most annoying thing is that some people have put Bonucci's case together with Criscito's. I repeat, Bonucci has not received any official notification from the prosecutors. That's why he's coming with us to the Euros. We all want to play, to win. And to come out of it clean."

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Sharapova retains Italian Open title

Roman holiday: Maria Sharapova holds the Italian Open trophy after beating Li Na in Sunday's final in Rome. AP

ROME — Maria Sharapova successfully defended her Italian Open title Sunday, beating Li Na 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in a wild match in which play was twice interrupted by rain and the red clay turned to mud.

"The match was a joke," Li said. "It's tough to play in such heavy rain and then you go and rest for two hours and then play again in heavy rain. . . . But I still have positive things to take away. She was just stronger and tougher."

The rain proved even more formidable for a men's final that never happened. Defending champion Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will have to wait until Monday to settle their championship.

Li appeared on course for victory when she surged to a 6-4, 4-0 lead, but 24 unforced errors from the French Open champion allowed Sharapova to take the next six games and the set.

Sharapova then seemed certain to win when it began to drizzle. The second-seeded Russian took a 4-1 lead in the third, but Li fought back to win four straight games to lead 5-4. Both held serve the rest of the way, forcing a tiebreaker.

After waiting out the rain for two hours in the locker room, the third set was over in five minutes. Sharapova completed the victory in 2 hours, 52 minutes.

"It was a really difficult match what with so many swings and having to wait an hour or two hours and then a tiebreaker in the final," Sharapova said. "It almost feels difficult to have a loser and a winner as it all came down to one game, but I am happy.

"It's great to beat someone at the level she played last year and knowing how well she plays on clay and how she defends and get herself back in good positions."

Sharapova had the first break of the match. Li, however, broke straight back and did so again in the 11th game to take the first set.

Li was in control as she broke to love and raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set, taking 15 of 17 points as Sharapova struggled with the ferocity of her strokes. But the pressure seemed to get to the eighth-seeded Chinese, and Sharapova won the next eight games.

Li clawed her way back in when she got to 40-0 in the ninth game of the second set. But Sharapova broke following a couple of unforced errors and two double-faults and went on to serve for the set.

Li managed to even the final set as the rain lashed down. The match was delayed briefly at 5-5 and the players waited courtside for it to ease up before play resumed.

Sharapova almost handed the match to Li when she smashed the ball into the net, giving her opponent a championship point. But Sharapova persevered with a powerful forehand to the corner.

With rain pouring, the players were asked if they wanted to continue. Both said they did, but were eventually forced off court before the tiebreaker with the torrential rain leaving the court a mess.

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