Calciopoli Watch: Chelsea Coach Carlo Ancelotti Gives Evidence In Court, Luciano Moggi Claims Juventus Left It Late For 2006 Title Revocation Request
The Calciopoli trial in Naples resumed on Tuesday, and all the hype was around Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was called in as a witness.
Judge Teresa Casoria got proceedings underway at 10:15 CET and the hearing started with Pierluigi Pairetto's defence team asking the court if they could present a further 50 calls to be transcribed on top of the 74 that were handed over by Luciano Moggi and have already been accepted.
Public prosecutor Giuseppe Narducci, prosecuting, questioned the request though. He told the court: "These calls have been available for three years and no one has ever asked for them. Why are the defences asking for them now?"
Narducci then asked the court for permission to obtain the transmission of the programme 'Matrix' that was recently aired on Italian television in which Moggi spoke about the Swiss SIM Card affair.
As the hearing continued, it was revealed that the FIGC's own investigation into the batch of new evidence in Naples has been put back further. They will not be able to get to work until a further 60 calls have been transcribed. The earliest investigation start date has been estimated for June 18 - when the World Cup is in full swing and two days before Italy's second Group E match against New Zealand.
There was then a media scrum in room 216 of the Tribunal of Naples as Ancelotti arrived. Order was soon restored and the Chelsea manager was questioned by the prosecution who began to examine him over his time at both Milan, and his previous spell at Juventus.
In particular Ancelotti reflected on the 2004-05 season.
"My sensation is that Milan felt defrauded," he told the court.
"As for Moggi, I had never seen him in the referee dressing room when Milan played Juventus because I was not there. But, [Gennaro] Gattuso did tell me that he saw Moggi in the referees' dressing rooms after a Milan-Juventus match."
The match in question was Juve's 1-0 win at San Siro which meant they won the title. Pierluigi Collina was the referee in that game.
The prosecution continued to ask Ancelotti about Moggi, and the coach denied knowledge of any conditioning of the league fixtures.
Having heard a brief statement from Fabio Vignaroli, Judge Teresa Casoria then adjourned the hearing until May 25, when the prosecution will question Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini.
Meanwhile, Moggi has slammed Juventus for not taking action earlier in relation to their request to have the 2006 Scudetto revoked from Inter. On Monday the club lodged a formal request with the football authorities to launch an enquiry as to whether there are grounds for Inter's title to be stripped following the emergence of calls involving the club at the trial.
"They [Juventus] should have done it before, but it is also good now," he told the press outside court.
Ancelotti was also asked what he thought about Juve's move, but the newly crowned Premier League champion declined to get drawn into the subject.
The case continues.
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