Buffon cleared of illegal gambling

Italian goalkeeper was suspected of betting on five Juventus matches

Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon was cleared of illegal gambling by a Turin prosecutor on Friday.

The 28-year-old, who kept goal for Italy in their triumphant World Cup campaign this year, was suspected of betting on five Juventus matches between 2004 and 2005. After a review of the evidence, Turin prosecutor Stefano Palazzi decided to archive Buffon’s case. Also cleared were former Juventus players Antonio Chimenti, Enzo Maresca and Mark Iuliano.

Buffon, the world’s most expensive keeper, was under suspicion of flouting the law on illegal gambling. He admitted placing bets on Juve matches when he voluntarily appeared before prosecutors in Turin on May 13, but insisted he stopped when the Italian football federation (FIGC) made gambling on any game an offence last year.

Players found guilty of breaking the FIGC’s rules on gambling face bans of anything from three months to three years. Buffon’s acquittal brought some festive cheer to Juve after a black year for the ‘Old Lady’.

Juventus were relegated to Italy’s second division and given a nine-point handicap for their role in this year’s Serie A match-fixing scandal. The Turin club were also stripped of the league titles they won in the 2004-05 and the 2005-06 seasons and were denied entry into the European Champions League.