Juve's Moggi says "crucified" in Italy scandal
ROME, June 27 (Reuters) - The man at the centre of the Italy's worst soccer scandal in a generation said on Tuesday he had been "crucified" by the media and found guilty even before the start of a trial involving him, 25 others and four clubs.
Luciano Moggi, who resigned as general manager of champions Juventus after phone-taps showed him discussing the choice of referees with Football Federation officials, said he had become a scapegoat for a sport which was under the influence of many vested interests.
"Look, I'm not a saint but I've not been in the company of angels," Moggi said in a lengthy interview on RAI3 TV.
Moggi occasionally choked back tears in the interview in which he said he had only ever tried to ensure Juve received fair treatment from football authorities which often seemed to work against the club's interests.
He declined to specify what he meant in referring to powerful "lobbies" that influence the sport.
Portraying himself as a victim of the scandal, rather than the villain as he has been painted by many in Italy's media, Moggi said: "I am sickened by what's happening to me.
"I try to have inner peace, but now the problems of football don't interest me any more. I only watch football on TV because it's a world that has hurt me too much."
Reuters