Armando Izzo, a defender for Italy, was found guilty on Thursday and given a five-year prison term for helping a Naples-based organized crime ring fix a game.

Izzo, a Serie A player for Monza, will have the opportunity to challenge the sentence because it is not final under Italian law.

According to Italian news media, he and two other players were found to have helped fix the Serie B match between Modena and his former team Avellino in the 2013–14 season.

Read Also:LMC Cancels Registration Of Okpe, Ali Over Match Fixing Scandal In Ghana

The 31-year-old, who has represented Italy three times, was found guilty of cooperation with the local mafia organization, the Camorra, and sporting fraud for receiving money to influence the outcome of the game by a court in Naples.

His cousin Umberto Accurso, who is thought to be a member of a Camorra clan from the Secondigliano neighborhood of Naples, as well as another accused member of the same organization, were both given 18-month sentences.

Former Italian prime leader Silvio Berlusconi’s Monza claimed they thought their player was innocent.

“Monza expresses its complete support of Armando, convinced of his non-involvement in criminal activity,” the club said in a statement.

“His lawyers are disappointed with the sentence and, after receiving and reading the court’s reasoning, will present an appeal.”

Izzo has made 26 appearances for Monza this season, assisting the team in securing Serie A safety with six games remaining in their inaugural campaign in Italy’s top division.

In April 2017 he was fined $50,000 and given an initial 18-month suspension from football for failing to report match-fixing while playing for Avellino.

The suspension was eventually reduced to six months.