FIFA extends match-fixing bans for 70 Italians

REUTERS - Match-fixing bans for 74 players and officials from Italy and South Korea have been extended worldwide, the sport's governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.

FIFA said that 70 bans from the Italian Football Federation, including 11 lifetime ones, had been extended after players and officials had been sanctioned for match-fixing in various hearings.

It said this involved either a "direct involvement or omission to report match-fixing, illegal betting or corrupt organisation (association to commit illicit acts)".

FIFA said bans were also extended in the cases of four South Koreans.

FIFA has been especially keen to be seen to be cracking down on corruption since European anti-crime agency Europol announced on February 4 that around 680 matches were suspected of being fixed in a global betting scam run from Singapore.

(Writing by Toby Davis in London; editing by Ed Osmond)