5/6/2006. Wiretap Scandal: Where's The Balanced Reporting?
Goal.com guest editorialist Gavino Nieddu wonders where the objectivity has gone in media reporting of the Moggi wiretap affair, & tries to separate truth from assumption, reality from not-so-hidden agendas, as Juventus again find themselves being convicted, tried & sentenced in the court of public opinion....
Well it didn’t take long did it? I concluded my last article by indicating that before long we would hear the next series of Anti-Juve sentiment. Lo-&-behold, not a week after my article was posted, the next smear campaign against “La Vecchia Campionessa” has now infected every major football site on the web (though Goal.com was quickest off the mark in English! - Ed). Naturally the Anti-Juventino is in a state of ecstasy while the Juve fan has had his/her possible 29th scudetto celebration cut short even before it began. Once again I find myself at the water cooler at work being ridiculed by Premiership fans, Liga fans, baseball, & basketball fans over another episode of the most ridiculous soap opera in professional sport, Serie A.
What can I say? I suppose a lot needs to be considered when deciphering these, the latest in what seems to be a non-stop onslaught of claims. Things such as the source, their motivation, timing, & overall meaning seem to go over the heads of many who have already commented on this site. I however, am more cynical & opt to delve deeper. It is my instinct to doubt everything, especially the media, especially in Italy where I resided & where I was disgusted by the lack of objectivity in their right wing owned media (be it politics, economy, the war in Iraq, & now sport). I am going to move right past the obvious fact that a citizen’s right to privacy has been publicly raped (Luciano Moggi) & get right into what I feel the majority of readers are overlooking.
Where did this come from? The first thing that needs to be called into question is the credibility (or lack thereof) of the Italian media. While living in Italy one of my first realizations regarding the Italian print media is that there is little distinction between Newspaper & Tabloid in Italy. The average serious newspaper in Italy is no better than the average North American gossip column & holds very little weight outside of the boot. It is often criticized & quite transparent. Upon reading an average article the apparent position of the writers & editors are clear as day. Today’s headlines were no different. My question is; why does no one else see the agenda? The media is for the most part (not totally) run by the Royal Family of media communications (Silvio Berlusconi). The same Royal Family that lately ran the nation & to this day own the rival squad of the very team so often accused. Is a coincidence to everyone else? Frankly any “newspaper” that prints conversations acquired with no proof of incriminating evidence is no more than a trash rag. I’m not saying they made it up. The FIGC launched an investigation & wire taps were leaked to the media (right on the eve of another title despite being concluded in September of 2005…how strange). The way in which they reported it however was in a very accusing manner (I read them directly from la Gazzetta). No objectivity in a headline that reads “I Furbetti del Calcio”, “The Clever Minds of Football”, the word misleading here would be an understatement.
The power the media yields is also worth noting. The media controls what we read & how much we are entitled to know. No doubt media ethics are a foreign ideology in Italy but it needs to be acknowledged that the media have the potential to print what suits them & take whatever they need out of context in order to prove whatever they, the editors, or the owners/investors desire to prove. Among other problems, translation is key. I read both the Italian & English versions & have to say that from a literal stance it was accurate, but there is much symbolism in the Italian (or any language) that can be lost & or misinterpreted in translation. For example, “Mi raccomando” does not mean, “you know what I mean? This sounded as though Moggi was implying something sinister when in fact in Italy “mi raccomando” is a normal way of saying bye to someone. It is like saying, “take care of yourself”. This however is a minor detail. More important things need to be called into question.
Is it lost on everyone else that all these stories seem to surface precisely at the end of a season? Last year we heard the Serie B scandals, we heard the bankruptcies of the Capital Clubs. We heard of the steroid use, etc. etc. It all amounted to nothing (except for the Serie B scandal) but it kept sales up in the off-season. Remarkably, this is also coming at another crucial point. Juventus are in the height of a month long “silenzio stampa” which means Media Silence. No one else apparently has noticed that nearly every other time Juve have implemented this sort of media blackout some sort of claim has surfaced as a form of backlash. Cannavaro’s drug allegation, the prior steroid accusation, etc. all stemmed from media blackouts. Today is no different.
Let us set all of these other factors aside for a moment & assume the sources are credible, & that the media is impartial. Let us assume no other motives drove this to the front pages. Let us assume nothing was taken out of context & that the tapes are audible & clear. What was really said? Frankly, after reading everything posted I was disappointed. I was expecting an atomic bomb & what I read was nothing more than grown men bad mouthing colleagues, competitors, & superiors like old ladies. Granted it is embarrassing but certainly not incriminating. The only thing these tapes have proven is that Luciano is on good terms with UEFA & Lega delegates. Is this new? We’ve seen them sit together at games. We’ve seen Galliani & Berlusconi sit with them at games. These are all colleagues employed at the same Leagues. Luciano Moggi has been seen exiting Galliani’s office a number of times. Why wouldn’t he? They have common interests.
Nothing said was incriminating or even worthy of being taken to court. A Maseratti? So what? Where is the part where he says “if you get me a win I’ll get you a car”? It isn’t in there. Does anyone even know who it was for? The alleged recipient has already gone on the news & admitted he asked Moggi to find him a very specific car for a friend of his. The fact that Moggi works for FIAT owners (who own Ferrari/Maseratti) I’ll let you fill in the blanks.
Luciano selected 3 refs for FRIENDLY MATCHES where nothing was at stake. Lega rules to officiating are so rigid that even if Moggi gave his wife to Pairetto he couldn’t hand select a ref. There are limitations & regulations. If I am a resident of Lazio I could never ref a Roma or Lazio game for example. If I have officiated a Juve game in the last 2 months I can’t officiate another one. See there are guidelines that need to be respected & approved by…you guessed it Galliani. “Give us a good one” hardly implies “Give me a crooked one”. Who doesn’t want a good one? Besides, none of this had anything to do with Serie A so all the Milanistas who are claiming the scudetto should be h&ed over to them should pipe down. These were conversations revolving around friendlies & a Uefa match, a Uefa match that Juve tied wrongfully. See all Moggi ever did was complain about an incompetent official that annulled a legitimate Juventus goal. “Who the %&#@ did you send?” to which the response was; “he’s seen as one of the best” is not evidence of bribery but rather ranting & whining. Something we have grown accustomed to thanks to our friends in Milano. If Moggi did pay for that result I hope he kept the receipt.
The FIGC themselves, who launched the investigation, have already admitted there is nothing incriminating on the tapes. They initially began investigating because of the steroid accusation of last year. They found no evidence of steroid use (contrary to what the Anti-Juventino will have you think). What did they find? The desire for good officiating, an expensive watch for a talk show host, a car for a friend of a friend, & selection of refs for friendlies…hats off to these investigators. If the shoe was on the other foot none of this would be happening. Unfortunately for Moggi & Juve, thanks to the jealousy that surrounds them, they have already been condemned. Does anyone bat an eyelash at the obvious fact that the Milan VP runs the league? No, but two friends gossiping on a phone are grounds for trial when you work for Juve.
Once again though, the double st&ard is clear as day with regards to the media. Moggi has a good rapport with the man who selects referees? For crying out loud people, Galliani signs his paycheque & those of the referees too. Maybe not personally but they answer to him (within Italy). He is their superior. Who has more contact or influence than he does? Milan doesn’t need to corrupt…they run it period, & the media.
Look I am objective. I know that in a nation famous for its ability to corrupt government, media, police, etc. that sport should be no different. We are talking about the sport’s top dogs. Moratti, Moggi, Galliani, Sensi all have a lot of money, influence, & favourable positions & I’m sure that to an extent they flex their muscle & I am not saying any are totally guilty or that any are totally innocent but at the end of the day the game is decided on the field…otherwise why are we watching? The influence they yield is balanced in my opinion & the figures I posted in my last article confirmed the team similarities at the top of the table.
What baffles me is the immediate acceptance of the Milanista & the Interista of these allegations as if to say that their teams are totally in the clear. We’ve all seen numerous occasions where dubious calls have favoured others at the top of the table. Those occasions were always justified though, Kaka never dives nor Inzaghi, but every Juve free kick stemmed from a dive. Adriano’s indirect free kick should have counted yet Cordoba’s foul on Nedved was again a dive. Honestly, it is this inconsistency that has been bothering me for years. The part that irritates me the most is that now for years Interistas & Milanistas will have something else to bring up even if Moggi is found not guilty. Did they stop accusing Juve after the steroid attempt cleared the doctors? No, instead they said they bought the judge. It is inevitable. The Juve fan will never be able to celebrate because they are either losing or cheating. It is the ultimate lose lose.
The fundamental difference is in the fan base. I rarely hear Juve fans bring up occasions where another team is helped. No matter how much influence Galliani & Berlusconi had in 2004 no Juventino in my presence said they shouldn’t have that scudetto to their name & neither am I. That is how the season went. In my opinion, Milan may have experienced leniency but deserved the title no less. So why can’t they then be as humble now?
I doubt anything will come of this. The conversations just lacked any kind of criminal intent. The media got what it wanted though, they have once again put Italy’s favourite scapegoat on the front page. If Moggi is guilty I agree he should be dealt with. If so however I think the next phones to be tapped should be Moratti’s so that we can shed some light on why two handball goals were allowed to st& in the Coppa Italia semi finals last year which preceded their eventual triumph in the tournament. Maybe we could get some clarification as to why an obvious Trezeguet goal was disallowed in the Supercoppa which also saw Inter crowned ( I guess Luciano’s cell must have died before he could hand pick that ref). Let’s tap Sensi’s to find out how Roma avoided Serie C2 relegation after going bankrupt the way Fiorentina did. Then I say we tap Galliani’s phone so that we can find out why a staggering amount of offside goals in the 2003-3004 campaign were allowed to stand which saw Milan earn it’s 17th scudetto, or why certain Milan players were allowed to refuse mandatory drug tests this season, or why a Cambiasso goal in the Champion’s League quarter final was called back sparking a riot. Not that any of those headlines would ever get printed in Italy.
In all honesty I’m amazed at the Milanista/Interista attitude here. They should be ever so grateful that Juventus is in Serie A because for as long as they are, there will always be someone to serve as Italy’s lightning rod keeping other major influence teams relatively safe from the prying eyes & ears of the media. For all the potential steroid use & all of the dubious officiating in Italy, Juve is the only major Serie A squad to have to defend themselves in court regularly. Soon enough Juve will be able to add up all of their won trials & put another star on their jersey.
The last bone I want to pick is with Goal.com. Their inability (or lack of interest) with regards to the translating of Giraudo’s press conference has left a key fact in the dark (as of 6:00 p.m. eastern time May 5th it is not posted). Not only was the statement moving from a fan’s perspective but also illuminating as a major point was unveiled. Chief Attorney General Marcello Maddalena had full access to the tapes & after hearing ALL of it declared that there was nothing incriminating on them. No wrongdoing whatsoever was evident in the conversations (when heard entirely) & if anything proved the opposite. He stated that it was not court worthy material & that it would only serve the media’s desire to sensationalize rather than inform to go ahead with a trial. This however didn’t stop the “investigators” from selling their story to the press (in pieces) in what has been a successful attempt at misleading the public by omission. How strange that only very specific excerpts were printed & never a whole conversation. I for one hope it does go to court. Maybe a judge can finally silence the media & the Anti-Juventino. Like I said before, it won’t be long before we hear the next batch of accusations, lies, & excuses. Welcome to Serie A.
Gavino Nieddu
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