It's been nearly 12 months since the first headlines hit Italy's most prominent pink sports paper regarding Juventus, Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina, Inter (yes Inter) and the "cupola" that controlled Italian soccer's top flight. We all know what happened, though some are significantly more confused than others. We all know the result as well.
Few, however, know the why or the who behind them. It is with this in mind that I write. There is much that the public has been kept in the dark about and only through archives of articles nearly a year deep does the "cupola" finally reveal its ugly face. There are things we weren't supposed to find out, but passion and perseverance prevailed.
It is imperative that all be brought up to speed regarding this now shameful event. First we should identify key characters and clarify their roles in "Calciopoli". I don't intend to refresh anyone's memory as to who Moggi and Galliani are because these are now household names in any household that knows football.
Instead I'd rather identify the men behind the men – those shady denizens who wheel and deal backstage where the public aren’t welcome at all. The characters behind "Calciopoli" belong to three distinct groups, so let’s begin with a look into the extent of their mainly unseen influence.
The first group is Telecom Italia, Italy's prominent land phone line/Internet service provider which also owns TIM, its cellular counterpart advertised by Ronaldo Fenômeno. This company is chaired by a certain Mr. Tronchetti Provera.
Tronchetti is a lifelong Inter fan and a significant Inter shareholder. He and Telecom Italia are among Inter's most notable investors. As a matter of fact, Tronchetti's tyre company has had its name proudly displayed on Inter's jersey for decades (Pirelli).
The second group pertains to the media. Here far too many stakeholders and writers are involved therefore it is best to group them by media affiliation. Newspapers like Corriere dello Sport, Contro Campo, Messagero, and la Gazzetta dello Sport, helped spread the "news" to the public regarding all the "facts" and hearsay that plagued last summer's scandal.
La Gazzetta dello Sport in particular (which has been sardonically nicknamed "La Gazzetta dell'Inter" in Italy, although evidently not by many Nerazzurri fans) is actually very heavily subsidized by…the Moratti family.
This takes us to Group three - Inter. Internzionale FC and its delegates, owned and operated by the Moratti family, have a wide network of affiliates. Their links with the Tronchetti communications dynasty and their massive investments in both print and TV media (Telenova), allowed the Morattis to orchestrate what seems like a near-political coup over the course of two years.
How? Massimo Moratti convinced his long time investor to illegally record Telecom/TIM phone calls and hand them over to him. These recordings included people from rival delegates to referees, from Inter players to Inter delegates – over 100,000 recordings in all.
The Inter management intended to present these recordings to investigators and start a case against their rivals. These recordings were presented to magistrates in Turin, Rome, and Naples, to no avail.
All three magistrates responded to the recordings by indicating that no wrong doing was found and all accusations died on the vine. Moratti's contingency plan was much more sinister. The recordings were to be handed over (in pieces) to the elements of the press that Inter had an investment in.
The result was a media frenzy which forced the FIGC to launch an investigation and suspend many of its delegates (now mostly reinstated), prompting only those not suspended (due to the fact that they were not implicated) to assume complete control of the investigation.
This manoeuvre brought Guido Rossi into the picture. Being among the few not implicated on the recordings, Guido became the commissioner of the investigation who not only controlled the proceedings but hand picked the "jury". Guido selected his colleagues and managed to conclude a year long sport tribunal in a mere three weeks. Of course he neglected to mention while at the helm of the FIGC, that he too is a major investor in Inter FC and also a former Inter delegate who proudly sat at Massimo Moratti's side during games just seasons ago.
The "investigation" brought forth much material. We all remember the Maseratti that was to be given as a gift for favours from Juventus (no identification number, model number, recipient, or even colour of the car was ever made evident). We remember the non-stop phone calls where no result was ever decided.
We remember the Italian Revenue Agency (Guardia della Finanza) entering Juventus headquarters and the home of Fabio Cannavaro looking for proof of illegal fund transfers. They found nothing – of course.
Do we all remember the phone conversations found where the late Giacinto Facchetti (then Inter General Director) requested specific referees from both Pairetto and Bergamo (referee designators)? In case some forgot, in a Sky interview Bergamo openly admitted that no delegate called him more than Facchetti.
In fact, Facchetti even dined in Bergamo's home on a number of occasions. We also found out (by accident) that Inter falsified passports to maintain the illegal status of foreign players (never further investigated), we also found out that Inter participated in fraudulent accounting practices (also never further investigated). In the end these details were never selected by Rossi as he deemed them to be "immaterial".
Less than a month later Inter had a Scudetto. Somehow Inter had the title two days before the investigation was over. When it was over, everyone but Inter got penalized. The most severe was Juventus' punishment. In the end the only proven fixed match was a Parma match that helped Fiorentina survive Serie A.
Even the Viola however remained in Serie A. A few appeals took place which reduced the punishments but in the end Inter had a title and a half. Not only were they declared champions of Italy (having come in 3rd) but all potential threats were crippled first in the marketplace.
When Fiorentina lost out on the Champions League – and 22.5 million Euros – and Milan had to forego major trades and purchases in addition to their point deductions rendering them less competitive the game was changed. Inter experienced a near market monopoly stealing Vieira and Ibra for peanuts and were the last team standing who could purchase Fabio Grosso (the agreement came as the first headlines about the scandal hit the press).
Take "Calciopoli" away from the equation and Inter would have likely been where they always were, without Ibra, Vieira, and behind their rivals. Though they may have won, we'll never know.
After Guido Rossi's speedy demotion of Juventus and prompt coronation of his former employers, Tronchetti decided to thank him for their sudden increase in earnings per share by appointing Guido Vice President of Telecom Italia. FIGC finally came to their senses and recognized (only too late) that there may be a conflict of interest and formally asked Guido to step down as commissioner.
Since the verdicts (which saw Juve lose 250 million Euros in addition to their Serie B punishment) the new Juventus delegates attempted an appeal at the Lazio Regional Tribunal (TAR) but were blackmailed into dropping the appeal.
FIGC threatened to freeze all Italian competition (including Azzurri duties) should the appeal take place. The freeze would have kept the national side from qualifying for Euro 2008. As a result Juve dropped the appeal and all seemed lost.
One judge (who listened to one appeal after the Rossi verdict) by the name of Cesare Ruperto of the CAF declared that the 2004/2005 season was legit. Sig. Serio of the Court of Appeal also said that no match fixing outside of the Lecce-Parma match (in favour of Fiorentina) had occurred.
He then went on to claim that the sentencing was due solely to mass media frenzy and conflict of interests. Guido Rossi himself admitted no foul play after failing to prove that Juventus, Lazio and Milan had cheated but he insisted that the teams found themselves in favorable positions and so maintained the punishments.
The CAF under Ruperto managed to reduce the sentences (but couldn't reverse them) and added that the season was subject to no wrong doing. He insisted that no Moggi system existed and that it was the invention of a little pink newspaper (pg 74 of the CAF declaration). Ruperto went on to say that no game (aside from one assisting Fiorentina) was altered and that no system of bookings existed either, allegedly ensuring that key players were suspended prior to Juve matches (Pg 83). According to the 100-plus page declaration by the CAF, all these accusations were fabricated and exploited.
Recently "Calciopoli 2" has hit the tabloids in Italy but has generated little steam. Basically the investigators in Naples have come forward indicating that Juventus' management used to use Foreign Service providers (Swiss SIM Cards) to conduct all the illegal conversations.
Since the investigators couldn't possibly record Swiss calls, no incriminating conversations actually exist. The question on many minds now is, if all the "incriminating" calls took place on Swiss cards that could not be monitored then what was on the 100,000 Telecom/TIM calls that could possibly justify demotion to Serie B and the title going to another team?
We are also curious as to how Moratti, Tronchetti, and the media could possibly get away with violating a constitutional right to privacy by illegally recording calls and then have them published. These entities could potentially be facing charges of invasion of privacy, defamation of character, fraudulent accounting, insider trading, and identity falsification.
To add to the already overflowing pot of offences, referee De Sanctis has come forward revealing that the late Giacinto Facchetti would call him regularly prior to matches. Many of his requests apparently were not strictly illegal. Nevertheless, on more than a few occasions, according to De Sanctis' televised interview on Antenna 3, he had to refuse Giaccinto's requests because of their unsportsmanlike nature and manipulative implications.
This has angered the Inter faithful who claim De Sanctis is accusing a deceased General Director because he can no longer defend himself. The truth is he never had to defend himself. His recorded phone conversations were discarded as evidence by Commissioner Rossi and as a result no one in the Inter camp was ever investigated. This occurred while Facchetti was very much alive. This revelation came as no shock since other referees and referee designers have coinciding stories. It is a year-old accusation backed by recorded phone calls that has mysteriously gone ignored.
As a result many fan-based demonstrations from Turin to Naples have taken place and organizations have been created to fight on Juventus' behalf. One association in Italy called "Giu le Mani Dalla Juve" (Hands Off Juve) has finally broken through to the new FIGC management.
The Federcalcio headed by Giancarlo Abete agreed to consider the possibility of reopening the now year-old case. His decision depends on public interest and therefore I encourage all fans who want to see actual justice served to please leave a comment in the comments box below.
Now Juve fans who won’t stand for more are finally being heard. If this case is reopened through Giancarlo Abete Juve could regain the Scudetti they fought so hard for. In addition, all other affected teams would also benefit from financial restitution if the case is reopened. I would like to take this opportunity to remind readers that last year's punished squads produced 12 World Cup Champions, 15 World Cup Finalists, and UEFA honours for best goalkeeper, best defender, and best all-around player. Later even FIFA recognized Fabio Cannavaro as Player of the Year. All awards were attributed to their performances in Serie A as well as Germany '06.
So, do these players sound like they need referee assistance? The answer is self-evident – no. Sceptics may still be convinced that Juventus cheated to be successful, but I urge all that all real football fans weigh up the real evidence that rarely makes the biased Italian media.
If we are talking about doing justice we can’t stop short of our target, but this target has been warped by unbalanced information. Justice should be blind to influences, but we can see that the powers that be have chosen their scapegoats and given pardons with no real regard for an overall truth.
Andrea Casula from http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=299625
Thought this was a very interesting article, summing up many people's opinion's on the Calciopoli that saw our team disgraced. Sadly, I doubt the truth will ever come out. Anyway this is a Juve fan from that site and I believe it is something every true football fan should know about.
Few, however, know the why or the who behind them. It is with this in mind that I write. There is much that the public has been kept in the dark about and only through archives of articles nearly a year deep does the "cupola" finally reveal its ugly face. There are things we weren't supposed to find out, but passion and perseverance prevailed.
It is imperative that all be brought up to speed regarding this now shameful event. First we should identify key characters and clarify their roles in "Calciopoli". I don't intend to refresh anyone's memory as to who Moggi and Galliani are because these are now household names in any household that knows football.
Instead I'd rather identify the men behind the men – those shady denizens who wheel and deal backstage where the public aren’t welcome at all. The characters behind "Calciopoli" belong to three distinct groups, so let’s begin with a look into the extent of their mainly unseen influence.
The first group is Telecom Italia, Italy's prominent land phone line/Internet service provider which also owns TIM, its cellular counterpart advertised by Ronaldo Fenômeno. This company is chaired by a certain Mr. Tronchetti Provera.
Tronchetti is a lifelong Inter fan and a significant Inter shareholder. He and Telecom Italia are among Inter's most notable investors. As a matter of fact, Tronchetti's tyre company has had its name proudly displayed on Inter's jersey for decades (Pirelli).
The second group pertains to the media. Here far too many stakeholders and writers are involved therefore it is best to group them by media affiliation. Newspapers like Corriere dello Sport, Contro Campo, Messagero, and la Gazzetta dello Sport, helped spread the "news" to the public regarding all the "facts" and hearsay that plagued last summer's scandal.
La Gazzetta dello Sport in particular (which has been sardonically nicknamed "La Gazzetta dell'Inter" in Italy, although evidently not by many Nerazzurri fans) is actually very heavily subsidized by…the Moratti family.
This takes us to Group three - Inter. Internzionale FC and its delegates, owned and operated by the Moratti family, have a wide network of affiliates. Their links with the Tronchetti communications dynasty and their massive investments in both print and TV media (Telenova), allowed the Morattis to orchestrate what seems like a near-political coup over the course of two years.
How? Massimo Moratti convinced his long time investor to illegally record Telecom/TIM phone calls and hand them over to him. These recordings included people from rival delegates to referees, from Inter players to Inter delegates – over 100,000 recordings in all.
The Inter management intended to present these recordings to investigators and start a case against their rivals. These recordings were presented to magistrates in Turin, Rome, and Naples, to no avail.
All three magistrates responded to the recordings by indicating that no wrong doing was found and all accusations died on the vine. Moratti's contingency plan was much more sinister. The recordings were to be handed over (in pieces) to the elements of the press that Inter had an investment in.
The result was a media frenzy which forced the FIGC to launch an investigation and suspend many of its delegates (now mostly reinstated), prompting only those not suspended (due to the fact that they were not implicated) to assume complete control of the investigation.
This manoeuvre brought Guido Rossi into the picture. Being among the few not implicated on the recordings, Guido became the commissioner of the investigation who not only controlled the proceedings but hand picked the "jury". Guido selected his colleagues and managed to conclude a year long sport tribunal in a mere three weeks. Of course he neglected to mention while at the helm of the FIGC, that he too is a major investor in Inter FC and also a former Inter delegate who proudly sat at Massimo Moratti's side during games just seasons ago.
The "investigation" brought forth much material. We all remember the Maseratti that was to be given as a gift for favours from Juventus (no identification number, model number, recipient, or even colour of the car was ever made evident). We remember the non-stop phone calls where no result was ever decided.
We remember the Italian Revenue Agency (Guardia della Finanza) entering Juventus headquarters and the home of Fabio Cannavaro looking for proof of illegal fund transfers. They found nothing – of course.
Do we all remember the phone conversations found where the late Giacinto Facchetti (then Inter General Director) requested specific referees from both Pairetto and Bergamo (referee designators)? In case some forgot, in a Sky interview Bergamo openly admitted that no delegate called him more than Facchetti.
In fact, Facchetti even dined in Bergamo's home on a number of occasions. We also found out (by accident) that Inter falsified passports to maintain the illegal status of foreign players (never further investigated), we also found out that Inter participated in fraudulent accounting practices (also never further investigated). In the end these details were never selected by Rossi as he deemed them to be "immaterial".
Less than a month later Inter had a Scudetto. Somehow Inter had the title two days before the investigation was over. When it was over, everyone but Inter got penalized. The most severe was Juventus' punishment. In the end the only proven fixed match was a Parma match that helped Fiorentina survive Serie A.
Even the Viola however remained in Serie A. A few appeals took place which reduced the punishments but in the end Inter had a title and a half. Not only were they declared champions of Italy (having come in 3rd) but all potential threats were crippled first in the marketplace.
When Fiorentina lost out on the Champions League – and 22.5 million Euros – and Milan had to forego major trades and purchases in addition to their point deductions rendering them less competitive the game was changed. Inter experienced a near market monopoly stealing Vieira and Ibra for peanuts and were the last team standing who could purchase Fabio Grosso (the agreement came as the first headlines about the scandal hit the press).
Take "Calciopoli" away from the equation and Inter would have likely been where they always were, without Ibra, Vieira, and behind their rivals. Though they may have won, we'll never know.
After Guido Rossi's speedy demotion of Juventus and prompt coronation of his former employers, Tronchetti decided to thank him for their sudden increase in earnings per share by appointing Guido Vice President of Telecom Italia. FIGC finally came to their senses and recognized (only too late) that there may be a conflict of interest and formally asked Guido to step down as commissioner.
Since the verdicts (which saw Juve lose 250 million Euros in addition to their Serie B punishment) the new Juventus delegates attempted an appeal at the Lazio Regional Tribunal (TAR) but were blackmailed into dropping the appeal.
FIGC threatened to freeze all Italian competition (including Azzurri duties) should the appeal take place. The freeze would have kept the national side from qualifying for Euro 2008. As a result Juve dropped the appeal and all seemed lost.
One judge (who listened to one appeal after the Rossi verdict) by the name of Cesare Ruperto of the CAF declared that the 2004/2005 season was legit. Sig. Serio of the Court of Appeal also said that no match fixing outside of the Lecce-Parma match (in favour of Fiorentina) had occurred.
He then went on to claim that the sentencing was due solely to mass media frenzy and conflict of interests. Guido Rossi himself admitted no foul play after failing to prove that Juventus, Lazio and Milan had cheated but he insisted that the teams found themselves in favorable positions and so maintained the punishments.
The CAF under Ruperto managed to reduce the sentences (but couldn't reverse them) and added that the season was subject to no wrong doing. He insisted that no Moggi system existed and that it was the invention of a little pink newspaper (pg 74 of the CAF declaration). Ruperto went on to say that no game (aside from one assisting Fiorentina) was altered and that no system of bookings existed either, allegedly ensuring that key players were suspended prior to Juve matches (Pg 83). According to the 100-plus page declaration by the CAF, all these accusations were fabricated and exploited.
Recently "Calciopoli 2" has hit the tabloids in Italy but has generated little steam. Basically the investigators in Naples have come forward indicating that Juventus' management used to use Foreign Service providers (Swiss SIM Cards) to conduct all the illegal conversations.
Since the investigators couldn't possibly record Swiss calls, no incriminating conversations actually exist. The question on many minds now is, if all the "incriminating" calls took place on Swiss cards that could not be monitored then what was on the 100,000 Telecom/TIM calls that could possibly justify demotion to Serie B and the title going to another team?
We are also curious as to how Moratti, Tronchetti, and the media could possibly get away with violating a constitutional right to privacy by illegally recording calls and then have them published. These entities could potentially be facing charges of invasion of privacy, defamation of character, fraudulent accounting, insider trading, and identity falsification.
To add to the already overflowing pot of offences, referee De Sanctis has come forward revealing that the late Giacinto Facchetti would call him regularly prior to matches. Many of his requests apparently were not strictly illegal. Nevertheless, on more than a few occasions, according to De Sanctis' televised interview on Antenna 3, he had to refuse Giaccinto's requests because of their unsportsmanlike nature and manipulative implications.
This has angered the Inter faithful who claim De Sanctis is accusing a deceased General Director because he can no longer defend himself. The truth is he never had to defend himself. His recorded phone conversations were discarded as evidence by Commissioner Rossi and as a result no one in the Inter camp was ever investigated. This occurred while Facchetti was very much alive. This revelation came as no shock since other referees and referee designers have coinciding stories. It is a year-old accusation backed by recorded phone calls that has mysteriously gone ignored.
As a result many fan-based demonstrations from Turin to Naples have taken place and organizations have been created to fight on Juventus' behalf. One association in Italy called "Giu le Mani Dalla Juve" (Hands Off Juve) has finally broken through to the new FIGC management.
The Federcalcio headed by Giancarlo Abete agreed to consider the possibility of reopening the now year-old case. His decision depends on public interest and therefore I encourage all fans who want to see actual justice served to please leave a comment in the comments box below.
Now Juve fans who won’t stand for more are finally being heard. If this case is reopened through Giancarlo Abete Juve could regain the Scudetti they fought so hard for. In addition, all other affected teams would also benefit from financial restitution if the case is reopened. I would like to take this opportunity to remind readers that last year's punished squads produced 12 World Cup Champions, 15 World Cup Finalists, and UEFA honours for best goalkeeper, best defender, and best all-around player. Later even FIFA recognized Fabio Cannavaro as Player of the Year. All awards were attributed to their performances in Serie A as well as Germany '06.
So, do these players sound like they need referee assistance? The answer is self-evident – no. Sceptics may still be convinced that Juventus cheated to be successful, but I urge all that all real football fans weigh up the real evidence that rarely makes the biased Italian media.
If we are talking about doing justice we can’t stop short of our target, but this target has been warped by unbalanced information. Justice should be blind to influences, but we can see that the powers that be have chosen their scapegoats and given pardons with no real regard for an overall truth.
Andrea Casula from http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=299625
Thought this was a very interesting article, summing up many people's opinion's on the Calciopoli that saw our team disgraced. Sadly, I doubt the truth will ever come out. Anyway this is a Juve fan from that site and I believe it is something every true football fan should know about.
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