13 July 2004	Tuesday	24 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

ROME, July 12: Two Serie A referees have been suspended after being drawn into an ongoing investigation into suspected mafia-linked illegal betting and match-fixing in Italy's top three divisions.

Marco Gabriele and Luca Palanca, who have officiated a total of 46 Serie A matches between them, were among the latest group of 14 people - including footballers and club directors - named by Napoli-based police on Monday.

The probe, which was launched in May, had already involved raids on 14 clubs in Italy's Serie A, B and C1, including top-flight sides Sampdoria, Lecce, Reggina and Chievo Verona.

Italian soccer was hit by a gambling and match-fixing scandal in the early 1980s and there have been several smaller cases since. A number of unrelated investigations into Italian soccer are currently underway, focusing on false accounting and suspicion of fraud. -Reuters