New Chelsea Coach, Conte, Cleared of Fraud Charges

New Chelsea Coach, Conte, Cleared of Fraud Charges

Italy coach and incoming Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has been acquitted of charges of sporting fraud in his native Italy, Goal.com reports.

Conte had been facing a six-month suspended jail sentence and an €8,000 fine as part of the ongoing Scommessopoli case, but judge Pierpaolo Beluzzi in Cremona dismissed the charges against him today.

The former Juventus midfield enforcer was accused of failing to report an attempt to fix a match against AlbinoLeffe when he was in charge of Serie B side Siena in 2010-11.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and the case was fast-tracked to avoid the issue dragging into the summer, when he will lead the Azzurri at the European Championship in France before joining Chelsea later in the summer.

Italian Football Federation (FIGC) handed the 46-year-old coach a four-month touchline ban in 2012 during his time at Juventus as part of the Scommessopoli scandal, although he was later cleared of any wrongdoing in relation to another contentious game between Siena and Novara in May 2011.

He is set to oversee a massive rebuilding project at Stamford Bridge next season after signing a three-year, £15 million deal in March.