Conte’s Appeal Against 10-month Ban Rejected

ROME (AP) – Juventus coach Antonio Conte will serve a 10-month ban for his role in a match-fixing scandal after his appeal was rejected Wednesday by the Italian Football Federation.

The federation’s disciplinary committee confirmed the guilty finding for failing to report match-fixing in Albinoleffe’s match against Siena during the 2010-11 season, when Conte was coach of then-Serie B team Siena. It threw out the guilty finding in a second game that season, but maintained the 10-month sentence.

Assistant coach Angelo Alessi, who also served under Conte at Siena, has had his ban reduced from eight months to six.

The committee rejected the appeals of prosecutor Stefano Palazzi against Juventus players Leonardo Bonucci and Simone Pepe, Siena’s Nicola Belmonte and Torino’s Salvatore Masiello, who were all cleared of any wrongdoing in Udinese’s match against Bari in May 2010.