Italy defender Domenico Criscito could miss Euro 2012 to answer match-fixing allegations, a source in the national team told the R-Sport agency on Monday.
Italian police questioned the 25-year-old Zenit St. Petersburg player as part of a blitz that included the arrest of 10 current and former players including Lazio captain Stefano Mauri and ex-Genoa midfielder Omar Milanetto, the Ansa agency said, citing police reports.
Criscito reportedly had his room searched at Italy's Euro 2012 base near Florence in connection with the investigation.
"The police arrived at the Italian team base at around seven in the morning, and Criscito was the only one to receive an official paper saying he is an official suspect in the case that's being investigated," the source said.
Criscito denies wrongdoing.
"I have nothing to do with what they're talking about," Criscito told RIA Novosti earlier Monday. "I can't comment on it for obvious reasons."
The so-called Calcioscommesse sports betting scandal broke in Cremona a year ago. Juventus coach Antonio Conte is among those implicated.
Part of the evidence against Criscito is a meeting recorded by police days before a Lazio-Genoa game in May 2011, Ansa said.
There, Criscito met with two Genoa ultra fans, a convicted Bosnian and his Genoa teammate at the time, midfielder Giuseppe Sculli, the agency said.
The May 14 game was a 4-2 victory for Lazio, and Criscito and Sculli played the entire match.
Sculli, the grandson of notorious mafia boss Giuseppe Morabito, has been accused of match-fixing before.
"According to Italian law, even if Criscito's guilt is not proven but it turns out that he knew of the dishonest nature of the match and didn't tell the police, he could get a ban from six months," the source told R-Sport.
"If his guilt is proven, then other laws come into effect, and the sanctions could be from two years and more, up to a life ban. In this case we're talking about sporting sanctions, but criminal ones could follow."
Criscito joined Zenit from Genoa in July for a reported €15 million. He has 19 caps for Italy, who are due to play Russia in a Euro 2012 warm-up Friday.
