• Italian football

Pesoli chains himself to FIGC HQ gates

ESPN staff
August 11, 2012
Emanuele Pesoli is furious at his treatment © Getty Images
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Suspended defender Emanuele Pesoli has gone on hunger strike while chaining himself to the gates outside the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) headquarters in Rome.

Pesoli, who was released by Siena earlier this summer, was banned for three years for sporting fraud after the Disciplinary Commission gave its verdicts on Friday.

The defender was handed his punishment in the same case that saw his former boss at Siena, Antonio Conte, suspended for 10 months and his assistant Angelo Alessio for eight months.

Pesoli, 32, was left angered by the decision and has taken to a high-profile protest to express his ill-feeling.

"I want a confrontation in the courts on this injustice so I can defend myself properly," Pesoli said. "My only mistake was answering that damn phone call when they asked me to sell the game. But I said no! I am innocent and I will prove it.

"This is a strong protest, but they are ruining my life for something I didn't do. Before I am forced to give up football, I want to fight with all my strength. I will wait here for someone from the FIGC, hopefully president Giancarlo Abete."

The appeals process begins on August 20.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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