Emanuele Pesoli ends his hunger strike over match-fixing ban

Emanuele Pesoli playing for Siena

Emanuele Pesoli of Serie B side Verona has ended his hunger strike protest after four days.

The 31-year-old had also chained himself to the gates of the headquarters of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in Rome.

The defender was protesting about his three-year ban for match-fixing, imposed last week.

Pesoli met with FIGC vice president Demetrio Albertini and is due to meet FIGC president Giancarlo Abete.

"I've ended my protest partly because of what Albertini said to me, and partly because of president Abete's involvement," said Pesoli.

"I will meet Abete on Friday at the FIGC. I was also advised by my doctor, who urged me to eat something this morning.

"I'm weak, a bit tired, my blood pressure's not great and I've lost a few pounds.

"It shouldn't be a problem to resume (the protest). My health's not been too badly compromised, it's more a case of mental scars."

Pesoli has been banned after a probe into illegal betting on matches while he was at Siena, a club he left in July.

Juventus manager Antonio Conte has been suspended for 10 months for not reporting match-fixing when he was in charge of Siena, then in Serie B, in the 2010-11 season.

Pesoli was one of several players, coaches and officials to be banned by the federation last Friday in the latest scandal to engulf Italian football.

In May, police searched more than 30 homes, including those of players, trainers and officials of clubs in Serie A, Serie B and lower divisions.

Lazio captain Stefano Mauri, 32, was held along with former Genoa midfielder Omar Milanetto, while officers visited Italy's pre-Euro 2012 training camp to question left-back Domenico Criscito, 25.