Cagliari chief Cellino leaves jail for house arrest

The Court of Review granted his request to be released on Thursday, also freeing Mauro Contini, the mayor of Quartu Sant'Elena, the district where the stadium is located, and his public works councillor Stefano Lilliu.

The three, who were placed under house arrest, had been arrested two weeks ago and charged with embezzlement and false representation in the rebuilding of the stadium which became the Sardinian club's home at the start of the season.

Three temporary stands were built but Cagliari's opening match against Atalanta had to be staged behind closed doors after local authorities ruled the stadium was not ready.

On that occasion, Cellino told fans the ground was safe, invited them to turn up for the match and accused the city government of placing bureaucratic obstacles in the club's way.

Cagliari played at the Stadio Sant'Elia from 1970 until halfway through last season but abandoned the arena due to disagreements with the local authorities and growing safety worries.