ROME — Napoli has been docked two points and fined 70,000 euros ($92,000, 57,000 pounds) in connection with a long-running probe into illegal betting, the Italian football federation (FIGC) said Tuesday. The southern Italy club's captain Paolo Cannavaro and fellow defender Gianluca Grava were banned for six months for “failing to report evidence of corruption”, the federation added. Napoli, which has said it would appeal the sanction, was in third spot before the ruling but now falls to fifth, 10 points behind defending champion and league leader Juventus, in a severe blow to its title hopes. The FIGC disciplinary committee also said it had suspended former goalkeeper Matteo Gianello for three years and three months for his involvement in an attempt to fix the match between Napoli and Sampdoria on May 16, 2010. The sport authority hearing is separate from a wider criminal investigation into suspect matches headed by prosecutors in three Italian cities that has implicated players from the top flight and second-tier Serie B. This season, Serie A sides Sienna have been docked six points, Atalanta two and Torino one as a result of the illegal betting investigation. Also Tuesday, third-division Portogruaro was penalized two points for fixing a May 2011 match with Crotone, while Crotone was cleared of wrongdoing. Fellaini charged Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini will serve a three-match ban after accepting a charge of violent conduct Monday for head-butting Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross during a Premier League game. Match officials missed the incident, which took place as the pair jostled at a corner in the second half of Saturday's game at the Britannia Stadium, but it was caught on video and a charge was issued retrospectively by the Football Association. “The player and the club have accepted the charge and the 25-year-old will be suspended for three (league) games against West Ham, Wigan and Chelsea,” Everton said in a statement. Fellaini, a Belgium international who has been one of the Premier League's top performers this season, apologized for his actions in a statement hours after the match, saying he had been “unprofessional.” — Agencies
