Walter Mazzarri, Napoli Players Under Investigation

As though it's not been bad enough for Napoli, what with the spring meltdown, losing out on the Champions League, and the likelihood that at least two of the Holy Trinity will be snatched away during the transfer window. Now the news comes out that coach Walter Mazzarri and various players are under investigation in the latest Italian betting and match-fixing scandal. Hurray!

The FIGC has confirmed that Mazzarri, Gianluca Grava, and Paolo Cannavaro have all been named in the next round of investigations, which will take place from 2 July to 9 July. Also on the list are former partenopei Giuseppe Mascara and Fabio Quagliarella.

I gotta say, I might be relieved to hear that Canna was involved in a bit of game-rigging. I just might prefer that to believing that some of those defensive errors last season were due to an actual lack of skill. But Grava? He played all of six games, the last being an 89th minute substitution in the final match against Siena. What was his role?

Granted, I don't really understand match-fixing. To me, the Napoli performances last season looked genuine -- genuine highs and genuine, heart-wrenching lows. The losses seemed to be a result of playing in the Champions League with a tiny squad. But this is something we vesuviani may have to come to terms with, the idea of starting the 2012-2013 season with a points deduction.

Yay.