Del Piero hails hard-working Juve
Sunday 14 May, 2006
Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero has praised his teammates for “earning this Scudetto with hard graft on the pitch.”
“This is a special day for so many reasons. We are extremely happy with this Scudetto and the whole season, as my teammates and I sweated our hearts out on the field in every game, whether it was a win or a defeat,” said the Bianconeri legend.
The celebrations for the 29th title have been overshadowed by an investigation into alleged match-fixing and collusion with referees, which has seen the entire Juventus Board of Directors – including director general Luciano Moggi – resign.
“It’s inevitable that we cannot ignore what is happening. We’re close to the people who’ve worked with us for many years and hope the matter can reach a positive resolution, but I don’t want to get into this debate.”
Juventus were top of the table from start to finish and notched up a record-breaking 91 points, so Del Piero insists they have reason to be proud.
“At the end of the day, the most wonderful thing about this sport is being there on the field and this season we proved our worth where it counts in the cleanest possible way. We feel very proud of this Scudetto.”
Nonetheless, there is talk of a worst case scenario in which Juventus would be relegated if the investigation reaches a conclusion that there were irregularities. Would Del Piero stay in Turin even if it meant playing Serie B football?
“My bond with Juventus is very strong and I have a love for this club that goes beyond many other considerations. It’s no coincidence I stayed this year even after some difficult moments.”
Those disappointments were caused by Coach Fabio Capello, who granted the captain just 17 Serie A starts and 16 substitute appearances, even though he managed to score 12 goals.
“Capello has won two Scudetto titles with us. Our relationship has been exaggerated in the Press, as the row we supposedly had this week didn’t happen.”