Emanuele Pesoli is risking death by starvation in order to clear his name.
The Verona defender chained himself to the gates of the Italian football federation headquarters in Rome on Saturday and and gone on a hunger strike to protest a lengthy ban, according to Reuters.
Pesoli was slapped with a three-year ban from the professional game for his involvement in “Calcioscommesse” — the match-fixing scandal that has shaken Italian soccer to its core.
The 31-year-old is accused of helping fix a game between Siena and Varese on May 11, 2011. He rejects the accusations and wants a chance to defend himself in court.
“I am hurt by the sentence and I would like to confront those who accuse me,” Pesoli reportedly told the Gazzetta dello Sport. “It is a strong protest but they are ruining my life for something I have not done. I will stay here until I can’t do it anymore.”
On Monday afternoon, Pesoli’s hunger strike was nearing the 60-hour mark.
The scandal involved a number of players, coaches, club owners and clubs. Verdicts in the case were delivered on Friday, and Pesoli took action the next day.
“Calcioscommesse” is international in scope, but its effects are most poignantly felt at the local level. Those who disagree need only take a glance at the Italian federation as proof.
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