ROME, May 29: The widening match-fixing scandal that has hit Italian soccer has caused “profound sadness”, Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Tuesday, adding that in his personal opinion, it may be a good idea to stop the professional game for two to three years.    

“It’s particularly sad when a world which should be an expression of the highest values — sport, youth, competition, fairness turns out to be a mass of foul play, falsehood and demagoguery,” he said.

“This isn’t a government proposal, but I wonder if it wouldn’t be a good idea to suspend the game for two or three years.”—Reuters