Monza defender Izzo cleared of match-fixing and Mafia links | OneFootball

Monza defender Armando Izzo has officially been cleared of any wrongdoing after the accusation of match-fixing and Mafia association going back almost a decade.

The 33-year-old had been playing for Avellino when suspicions were raised about a Serie B match against Modena in May 2014, although the investigation only began in May 2016.

He was accused of helping to fix the game by altering the result, something that Izzo had always denied.

After a decade of investigations, trials and levels of judgment, the final verdict was reached today and the Court of Appeal overturned the initial guilty sentence.

Izzo has been fully cleared of all wrongdoing.

Izzo always pleaded innocent

MONZA, ITALY – MARCH 02: Nikola Vlasic of Torino runs with the ball under pressure from Armando Izzo of Monza during the Serie A match between Monza and Torino at U-Power Stadium on March 02, 2025 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)

“I am very satisfied with the verdict, and as I’ve always said from the start, I had faith in the justice system,” noted Izzo.

“I will never stop thanking my lawyers, who always believed in me.  I thank my family and also Monza, Galliani and Berlusconi, who albeit aware of the trial, always had faith in me.”

The defender had also been given three senior caps for Italy, all of them in 2019, long after the initial accusation of wrongdoing in May 2016.

He received an 18-month ban and €50,000 fine in April 2017, which was reduced a month later to a six-month ban.

The civil justice system moves much slower than sporting, so Izzo was given a five-year suspended sentence in May 2023.

That verdict was overturned on appeal today.