Match-fixing : Armando Izzo cleared
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12 Apr 2025 •
Reading time: 2 minutes Armando Izzo, a defender with Italian club Monza, was acquitted on appeal on 10 April 2025, after more than ten years of legal proceedings linked to a match-fixing case dating back to 2014. Accused of participating in the manipulation of two Serie B matches under the influence of a Neapolitan mafia clan, he was sentenced to five years in prison in 2023. The Naples Court of Appeal finally ruled that there was insufficient evidence to confirm his guilt, thereby rehabilitating a player who had always denied the facts.
Long considered one of Italy’s footballing hopefuls, Armando Izzo saw his career turned upside down when he became embroiled in a high-profile match-fixing case linked to the Neapolitan mafia. But on Thursday 10 April 2025, a decisive turning point put an end to more than ten years of legal battle: Izzo was definitively acquitted by the Naples Court of Appeal.
A legal case dating back to 2014
In May 2014, during the Serie B season, Armando Izzo, then an Avellino defender, was implicated in a case of match-fixing. The matches involved were against Modena (1-0) and Reggina. Izzo, along with his team-mates Francesco Millesi and Luca Pini, is accused of having influenced the outcome of these matches under the aegis of the Neapolitan mafia clan Vanella Grassi, through the intermediary of his cousin.
In 2017, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) handed Izzo an 18-month suspension, reduced to six months on appeal. However, in May 2023, the Naples Court of First Instance sentenced him to five years in prison for match-fixing and mafia association. This decision sparked outrage among his lawyers and the Monza club, who expressed their support for Izzo and announced their intention to appeal.
Judicial rehabilitation
On 10 April 2025, the Naples Court of Appeal acquitted Armando Izzo of all the charges brought against him. The court concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish his guilt in the charges against him. This decision puts an end to a legal saga that has lasted more than a decade.
Following his rehabilitation, Izzo declared:
‘I am very pleased with the verdict. I have always had confidence in the justice system. I would like to thank my lawyers, my family and AC Monza, who continued to believe in me despite everything.’
Monza, for its part, reaffirmed its unwavering support for its player.