Match-fixing whistle blower to train with Italy

ROME (AP) -- Italy coach Cesare Prandelli is planning to reward the Italian match-fixing whistle blower by letting the previously little-known Gubbio defender train with the national team.

"It's a way to thank him and underline what he represents,'' Prandelli told Italian daily La Repubblica on Friday. "He didn't just show courage, he also showed extraordinary inner strength.''

Last month, Simone Farina was approached and offered ?200,000 ($260,000) to influence the outcome of an Italian Cup match between Cesena and Gubbio on Nov. 30. The player refused and reported the incident to the police, and when the news broke alongside the arrests of 17 people across Italy on Monday, Farina was hailed as a hero.

Judicial officials said Monday that Farina was approached by his former teammate from Roma's youth system, Alessandro Zamperini, who was among those arrested.

The money Farina might have received would have been more than double his salary.

"Gestures like that don't come easy in the lower divisions,'' Prandelli said. "Now it's up to us not to abandon him.''

Farina will likely train with Italy ahead of a planned friendly against the United States on Feb. 29. He won't play in the match.

"From a technical standpoint it can't be a real call-up, but it's the message that counts,'' Prandelli added.

The move falls in line with Prandelli's initiative to restore pride to the national team after an embarrassing first-round exit from last year's World Cup. Prandelli replaced Marcello Lippi immediately after the tournament in South Africa and besides leading the squad to a first-place finish in its European Championship qualifying group he has been keen on promoting social values.

Last month, Italy trained on a pitch that was confiscated from the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate to show its support in the fight against organized crime.

Also, players that get suspended from their clubs for unsportmanlike conduct, or who get into trouble off the pitch, are also automatically suspended from the national team.

"This is also another sign of continuity on our road toward combatting 'omerta,''' Prandelli said, using the Italian word for 'code of silence' that is associated with organized crime in the country.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.