ROME: A police sweep in Italy has led to 17 arrests including five players suspected by a court in Cremona of involvement in yet another match-fixing scam.

A steady procession of corruption allegations have been investigated, with subsequent arrests and court sanctions, since 2006 when the Calciopoli scandal led to the enforced relegation of Juventus.

Cristiano Doni, one-time captain of Atalanta and already serving a three-year suspension, is among the latest arrests facing likely charges of ‘sporting fraud.’ He is being questioned in connection with events affecting three matches during Atalanta’s promotion campaign last season.

The Bergamo club are currently 14^th in Serie A despite having been penalized six points – like Ascoli and Chievo – from a previous scandal.

Other players arrested were Luigi Sartor (Parma, Vicenza, Inter and Roma), Alessandro Zamperini (formerly active in the lower divisions), Carlo Gervasoni (Piacenza, already suspended) and Filippo Carobbio (Spezia).

Sources close to the investigation indicated that the arrests were connected to an international betting network fixing results in the lower divisions in central and eastern Europe.