It’s not easy for professional football players to acquire a reputation for being more stupid or badly behaved than common opinion already holds.

i Newspaper
 
TheIPaper
The Independent around the web
E-break Time
Independent Crossword

Italian match-fixer avoids prison

The former Bari defender Andrea Masiello has been given a suspended 22-month prison sentence after admitting that he deliberately scored an own goal to help local rivals Lecce avoid relegation from Serie A in May 2011.

Criscito faces fixing inquiry

The Italy defender Domenico Criscito will be questioned by the Italian Football Federa-tion over his alleged role in the match-fixing scandal on 16 July.

Gillies: 'a truly great jockey'

Campbell Gillies: National Hunt jockey

Campbell Gillies, who died in an accident on Corfu yesterday, the day before his 22nd birthday, was a Cheltenham Festival winning-jockey who enjoyed arguably his finest moment in the saddle when he partnered Brindisi Breeze to victory in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Festival last March.

Campbell Gillies in action

Turf mourns 'charming' Gillies

Trainers and jockeys united in grief after holiday accident takes young rider's life

Family killed in Italy gas blast

Three bodies have been found in the rubble of a collapsed building in southern Italy, the news agency ANSA said.

Amore

Observations: Popera act Amore are graduating to the big time

Charlotte Church and Katherine Jenkins have done wonders in changing classical music's reputation as stuffy. But will British operatic group Amore succeed in putting the fun back in opera and be the next big opera band?

I have the right to defend myself, says pistol-packing Italian mayor

The mayor of a southern Italian city has caused a storm by turning up to political rallies with a gun tucked into his belt.

Mafia blamed as bomb blast kills 16-year-old girl at school in southern Italy

A bomb exploded in front of a girls' school in southern Italy today, killing a 16-year-old girl and wounding seven others, suspicion quickly falling on the local Mafia.

Andrea Masiello is now at Atalanta

Andrea Masiello arrested as fresh match-fixing scandal hits Serie A

Former Bari defender Andrea Masiello, now playing for Atalanta, was arrested today in connection with alleged match-fixing in Serie A last season, the Italian federation (FIGC) have said.

Campbell Gillies on Brindisi Breeze (left) jumps the last to win the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

Breakthrough win is far from a Breeze for Russell

Up and coming Scottish yard claims shock victory over favourite Boston Bob

Amandha Fox and Luana Borgia are seeking to become the next mayor of Taranto

Naked ambition: the porn stars dancing into Italian politics

After months of sobriety in Italian politics since Silvio Berlusconi stepped down as prime minister, it's back to business as usual as three porn stars battle it out in mayoral contests.

Trail of the unexpected: Saint Nicholas in Puglia

A Turkish bishop adopted by an Italian port is an inspiration for shoppers.

Lazio midfielder Pasquale Foggia considering QPR switch

Lazio midfielder Pasquale Foggia is considering a move to QPR, according to the player's agent.

Mafia earning €20bn from dumping toxic waste

Italy’s mafia clans, best known for drug running and extortion rackets, are earning €20 billion a year by turning the south of the country into a toxic waste dump, an environmental organisation said in a major report.

Career Services

Day In a Page

Independent Travel Shop See all offers »
Dordogne, Albi and Carcassonne
Seven nights from only £1,039pp Find out more
South Africa
15 nights from only £1,899pp Find out more
Paris and the Cote d’Azur city break
Seven nights from £579pp Find out more
Seville, Granada and Malaga break
Seven nights from £549pp Find out more
Venice city break
Two nights from only £199pp - third night free on selected dates Find out more
Grand Elysée, Hamburg
Up to 47% off
OFFER ENDS 19 MAY Find out more
5* Turkey holiday
Up to 20% off
OFFER ENDS 19 MAY Find out more
La Maltese, Santorini
Up to 63% off
OFFER ENDS 19 MAY Find out more
The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in
The real thing? Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'

The real thing?

Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'
Gordon Ramsey's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

The pugnacious chef finally met a shambolic restaurant he couldn't save. John Walsh on when TV makover refuseniks fight back
Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Glamorous myth of the flight attendant lifestyle undermined by angry employee's claims of 'exploitation'
Braising saddles: Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it!

Braising saddles: How to cook horse meat

Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it! Will Coldwell hoofs it to the kitchen.
Why bitters are back on the bar: A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails

Why bitters are back on the bar

A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails. No wonder we're learning to love them again...
The 10 Best barbecues

The 10 Best barbecues

Whether you're cooking on gas or are a convert to charcoal we've got the perfect way to cook when the sun is out.
Style icon David Beckham calls time on his long retirement

Style icon calls time on his long retirement

David Beckham never disgraced himself but former England captain ceased to be a major player years ago. Remember him at his United peak
Steve Harper: My darkest times

Steve Harper: My darkest times

As the popular Newcastle goalkeeper bows out after 20 years at the club, he tells Martin Hardy about the private battle with depression that threatened his career
Sir Torquil Norman has designed a flat-pack OX truck for the developing world

The flat-pack truck with big ambitions

After making a fortune from Polly Pocket and a doll's house shaped like a teapot, the entrepreneur has turned his creativity to a transporter truck for the developing world. Simon Usborne meets him.