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Former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni celebrateD after scoring during a Serie?A soccer match between Atalanta and Messina, at the Bergamo stadium in?Italy on Dec. 10, 2006.

Former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni has admitted helping to fix Serie B matches involving his team last season. He said he agreed to go along with the scam because his team was not supposed to lose.

Doni was among 16 people arrested across Italy in an ongoing investigation into match-fixing and illegal betting on games.

After five days of solitary confinement, Doni was permitted to meet with his lawyer on Friday and was then questioned by prosecutors.

"Yes, I knew about the fix for Atalanta-Piacenza. I gave my approval and I bet," Doni has been quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "I also tried to do the same thing for the match with Ascoli. But they were all personal initiatives, I'm not part of any organization. ... The club didn't know anything."

Atalanta beat Piacenza 3-0, while the Ascoli vs Atalanta match finished 1-1. Details have not yet emerged as to precisely what Doni did in the fixed games.