Atalanta gets 2-point penalty in Italian scandal

ROME (AP) — Atalanta has plea-bargained for a further two-point penalty in the ongoing Italian match-fixing scandal.

The northern club was already penalized six points last season for its role in the scandal, and still finished near the middle of the Serie A table.

Former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni had two years added to his previous ban of three and a half years from football.

Also on the first day of an Italian football federation trial into match-fixing, six other lower-division clubs plea-bargained for point penalties.

Some 50 suspects have been arrested over the past year in the probe led by prosecutors in Cremona. Many more have been placed under investigation.

On Tuesday, Italy Premier Mario Monti suggested Italian football should be suspended for two to three years.