The team manager of the Bardiani-CSF, Wilier-Southeast and Androni Giocattoli teams have all been cleared of accusations that they somehow forced riders to find sponsors and paid to race as professionals with their Professional Continental teams.
The Tribunale della Federciclismo Italia – the disciplinary tribunal of the Italian Cycling Federation, cleared Bruno Reverberi, Angelo Citracca and Gianni Savio despite the investigators from the Italian Olympic Committee asked they be banned for between one and two years. Rider Marco Coledan, who raced for Bardiani-CSF before moving to Trek-Segafredo in 2015, was also cleared of any wrongdoing after he initially denied paying to race.
The Italian Olympic Committee can appeal the sentence but faces an uphill task as the second level of judgement will also be held under the auspices of the Italian Cycling Federation. The full sentence and explanation why the three team managers were found not guilty will be published in the next few days.
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The investigation dubbed 'pagi e corri' – 'pay and ride' – began after a detailed investigation by Italian journalist Marco Bonarrigo for the prestigious Corriere della Sera newspaper. By speaking to several riders and witnesses, Bonarrigo lifted the lid on the financial deals that are widely suspected of occurring in the lower levels of Italian cycling. Olympic gold medallist Elia Viviani was a key witness in the investigation, with six other riders reportedly confirming to investigators that they were forced to find their place in the professional peloton.
Bonarrigo claimed that some riders forced to give back part of their official salary via secret bank accounts and illegal agreements that left them unable to accept offers from bigger and better teams.
Widespread system
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