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ROME - (Reuters) - Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Wednesday he was embarrassed and disgusted by the latest match-fixing scandal to hit Italian soccer and called for sweeping changes to clean up the game and attract families to stadiums.
Renzi had already promised to make radical changes to professional soccer a year ago after a supporter was shot dead by a rival fan at the Italian Cup final, but these reforms never materialised.
Police on Tuesday detained around 50 people including team managers, players and a suspected Calabrian mobster accused of fixing dozens of soccer matches in the country's third division and its top semi-professional league.
"I am disgusted by what is happening in our soccer. In the last few years there have been repeated scandals that leave you speechless," Renzi said in a radio interview ahead of this year's Italian Cup final later on Wednesday.
He said Italy should follow the example of Britain, Germany and Spain, which have largely rooted out fan violence and invested in high quality stadiums to make them more attractive to families. In Italy, violence is rife and its stadiums are often half empty, even in the top tier Serie A.
Match-fixing allegations have blighted the lower leagues of Italian soccer in recent years as criminal groups increasingly use the sport as a focus of the country's legal gambling industry, Europe's largest, as a way to earn and launder money.
"The episodes in our third division are embarrassing," said Renzi, who is an ardent supporter of Serie A team Fiorentina, which represents Florence where he used to be mayor.
Investigators suspect 28 matches from the third division Lega Pro and semi-professional Serie D from the 2014-15 season were rigged. Among those sought by police for bribing players and coaches were Serbs, Albanians and Maltese nationals.
Without naming names, Renzi said Italian soccer had to get rid of "characters with a questionable approach that govern our soccer at all levels."
Despite the scandals, after years in the doldrums Italy's top teams have fared better in international competitions this season. Juventus faces Barcelona in the final of the showcase Champions League next month, and Fiorentina and Napoli both reached the semi-final of the less prestigious Europa League. (Reporting By Gavin Jones; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
