Italian referee's ban extended

Rome:

Referee Gianluca Paparesta received an eight-month ban from the Italian referees' association on Tuesday for his role in the country's match-fixing scandal. Paparesta is already serving a three-month ban handed out by a sports tribunal in July. The eight-month ban will therefore begin on October 20 and run until June 19, 2007. The punishment means Paparesta will miss the entire Italian league season, which starts this weekend. Paparesta, formerly considered one of Italy's top referees, was punished for allegedly illicit contact with AC Milan official Leonardo Meani. When the scandal broke at the end of last season, Paparesta acknowledged being locked up in a locker room by then Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, supposedly for failing to assure the club's victory in a game in the 2004-05 season. Paparesta said he did not report the incident because he feared it would have ended his career. Also on Tuesday, former Juventus chief executive Antonio Giraudo and Lazio president Claudio Lotito failed in their attempts to have their sentences reduced by a reconciliation commission. Giraudo was banned from soccer for five years and fined $25,000. Lotito was banned for two-and-a-half-years $38,000. Both Giraudo and Lotito indicated they will next take their cases to arbitration before the Italian Olympic Committee. (AP)