Aston Villa chairman Randy Lerner has welcomed the addition of Simone Farina to their coaching staff.

Farina has been recruited as a community coach by Lerner on the recommendation of INTERPOL after blowing the whistle on match-fixing and bribery in the Italian game.

Ron Noble, who is the Secretary General of INTERPOL and a close associate of Lerner, suggested the 30-year-old Italian would be ideal for Villa.

"Ron Noble is a longstanding friend and colleague and he felt that Simone would be a good fit for Villa, that he had shown immense courage and integrity when confronted with a very difficult situation, said Lerner.

"I'm really pleased that Simone has taken up this opportunity and that he has fit in quickly and so well with our community coaching programme."