Updated news about the Scandal [DO NOT POST COMMENTS] (18 Viewers)

[ReBeL]

Messina's former GM named in scandal


ROME (AP) - Messina's former general manager, Mariano Fabiani, faces accusations of involvement in Italy's match-fixing scandal which could result in the Sicilian club being penalized.

Fabiani was one of five people placed under investigation by prosecutors in Naples on Thursday. The others were three referees and a linesman.

All face charges of associating to commit a crime and sporting fraud.

Fabiani allegedly helped to fix the outcome of nine matches in the 2004-05 season, Italian newspapers reported Friday.

In its first season in the top division in 40 years, Messina finished an impressive seventh in 2004-05. It dropped to 17th last season and Messina is currently next-to-last and in danger of relegation.

Fabiani, who has since moved to Salernitana, has declared his innocence.

Messina president Pietro Franza issued a statement on the club's website saying that Messina has "always operated in absolute transparency" and that Fabiani's position "will be cleared up soon."

Any indictments in the criminal probe would require months, but if sports authorities open a separate inquiry and find Fabiani guilty, Messina could face penalties.

Associated Press

 

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[ReBeL]

Nothing to fear, say Juve


Juventus have issued a statement to reassure fans that today’s twist in the Calciopoli investigation will not see them punished further.

The Turin giants have this afternoon claimed that they have already paid the price for the misdemeanours of previous employees Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo.

“The news reported in the newspapers today does not change the club’s conviction that it cannot be held responsible for any wrongdoing referred to the past management,” read a note on the club’s website.

“The players and the entire Juve staff have faced the Serie B championship with passion and professionalism, overcoming last summer’s crisis.

“The current managers are aware that a very high price was paid and that there are no pending issues with the sporting justice, and this has allowed them to plan the outfit’s future serenely.

“To the fans, who have never faltered in their support, Juventus can confirm their desire to start winning again and return to the very top of the world game.”

Channel 4

 

[Ahmedios]

Judge: Juve safe, Messina at risk

The judge in charge of the first Calciopoli trial assures Juventus cannot be punished again, but Messina could face heavy sanctions.

The Naples public prosecutors concluded their investigation yesterday and released a list of 48 people suspected of wrongdoing, a standard step before possible criminal charges are issued.

Once again the match-fixing allegations rotate around former Juve director general Luciano Moggi, accused of providing Swiss SIM cards to referees and designators to contact them without being traced.

However, the Bianconeri seem to be safe from further punishment after their summer demotion to Serie B.

“What do Juventus risk? Our decision did not examine individual incidents, as we had to rule on a 'climate’ created to favour Juventus,” explained Piero Sandulli, the judge in charge of the Federal Court that sent the club to Serie B with a 17-point penalty – later reduced to nine on appeal.

“If these new games under investigation are part of that 'climate’, I doubt that Juventus can risk anything else in disciplinary terms. It would be a sporting matter that had already been sentenced.”

The same cannot be said of Messina, who play a role in the Naples investigation and were in fact saved from relegation by Calciopoli, as Juve’s demotion freed up a space in the top flight.

“Messina do run a risk in this case,” confirmed Sandulli to the 'Gazzetta dello Sport.’ “We were told nothing about their role from the public prosecutors in the CAF or the Federal Court. Messina’s is a new case there was only the briefest mention of, so I don’t think it was analysed by the sporting justice system.”

Sandulli also gave his view on the new element in the Moggi scandal – the Swiss SIM cards used by referees.

“A reserved SIM card in itself is not illegal, even if it is very strange. It becomes sporting fraud if that card is used to make phone calls in order to fix a match or anything else. In any case, it is odd. I doubt these mobile phones were 'reserved’ to call their wives and say they were coming home for dinner…”

Channel 4

 

[The Arif]

Calciopoli Part Two

Is the scandal era in Italian football ever going to finish? At the moment it seems impossible. After an exciting week of Champions League football – ending up in a famous triumph for Milan and a massive upset for Roma – the 'tifosi’ seem set to endure new allegations about referees and Serie A teams and new trials are looming. Will this season’s final tables be affected again? Luca Manes finds out who’s scratching at the scabs and causing fresh blood to flow in Italy…

Last summer Calciopoli was a big shockwave for Italian football; a Tsunami that everybody knew was possible but it still devastated Calcio with a tidal wave of unsavoury practise and wrongdoing leaving Italian football partially submerged.
It all started when sporting authorities received an awful lot of evidence from some criminal court-based judges, mainly from a couple of them working in Naples: Filippo Beatrice and Giuseppe Narducci.
Those two have just completed their task to investigate several people supposed to be involved in the match fixing affairCriminal trials are due to start in a very few weeks, so the villains of Calciopoli, notably Moggi, Giraudo and Carraro, should know relatively soon if they’re guilty or innocent in the eyes of the Italian legal system.
That is hardly startling news, as it’s not surprising at all they’ll have to go to court and account for their tangled web of dealings before the stain can be washed away.
What is far more surprising is that there are new evidence to be taken into account and new names involved in the scandal, as more months of investigation by the Neapolitan magistrates led to some interesting additional findings.
The list of people includes the usual suspects, Moggi and Giraudo but also Della Valle and Lotito, who in the end received a light punishment by the football authorities, and a bunch of referees not previously accused, like Paparesta, Bertini and Tagliavento.
Yes, Paparesta, the one Moggi locked in the changing room at Reggio Calabria as he had not awarded a penalty to the Bianconeri.
Everybody thought he was an innocent victim at the time, but now the man in black could be a key actor playing a central part of the second act of Calciopoli.
Apparently Paparesta, along with his colleagues De Santis, Gabriele, Dondarini, Racalbuto, Pisacreta and Rodomonti, was given a Swiss mobile card by Moggi.
This was to talk freely about how to “deal” with the Serie A football games and how to use the yellow cards for players under risk of suspension.
The new President of the Italian refereeing union Cesare Gussoni has not banned Bertini and Tagliavento yet, even though they have been replaced for next Sunday’s games they were designated for – hardly a signal of real devotion to change.
There is also a new club that may face the lobster treatment and be dunked into boiling hot water as the revelations cause the pressure to be turned up: Messina.
Giallorossi sporting director Mariano Fabiani isalso accused of having fixed eleven matches, seven for his team and the rest for Juventus, as he was one of Moggi’s trusted mover-and-shaker protégés.
As FIGC’s (the Italian FA) leading magistrate Francesco Saverio Borrelli is ready to start his own investigation, once he gets to see the new evidence, Messina could seriously risk a hefty penalty.
That’s the last straw for the Messinesi, as they’re already facing relegation and are having huge problems off the pitch as well.
Disgruntled fans are ready to call for a “strike” to protest against the appointment of Bruno Giordano as “new” head coach, after he was sacked last January.
Vecchia Signora Juventus could be if for another slap across the chops thanks to Borrelli, as new evidence might prove important games like the one against Milan in 2004 (refereed by Bertini) and the Roma clash in 2005 were fixed. Explosive stuff.
Realistically, the Old Lady from Turin could not be penalized any further, as the Bianconeri already had to pay for their wrongdoings in 2004-2005 and that title was declared vacant – even though now Milan are attempting to claim it in court.
It’s all a different matter if Juventus and the other teams involved in the Calciopoli scandal got the punishment they deserved in the first place, especially if the new accusations are not just pure fantasy.
Bianconeri president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has just stated that they have been able to deal with heavy sanctions, but that the 'ghost’ of Moggi is still haunting him and the new array of Juventus execs.
Will they ever get rid of him? Poor Cobolli Gigli, he's trying ever so hard, but it looks a difficult task that verges on the impossible as the legal spotlights appear to be primed to be poked up the Old lady’s skirts once more – and that’s not a pretty sight…
Borrelli, former head of pool of magistrates in charge of the “Clean Hands” investigation – one of the biggest scandal of the whole Italian history, and we’re not talking about footy – has to be nimble on his feet, though.
There is a 'sell by’ date as by the beginning of July 'proscription’ would apply. This would essentially mean that all the evidence collected so far would be out of date as far as legal channels are concerned. Hence the hurry.
Regardless of what actually happens there is a sense of general surprise, as it’s undeniable that nobody in the Italian FA would think such big developments would come from Neapolitan magistrates. Could this in itself be a sign of a sea change?
The new President of FIGC, Giancarlo Abete, and his colleagues have also been focused on a series of UEFA meetings in Cardiff, when the host nation of Euro 2012 will be officially decided.
Sadly it seems that the bid will be affected by the latest ugly rash of violence and corruption and the entire country may pay the price for a few white-collared corner-cutters in club offices and the brainless antics of 'supporters’ who only really end up supporting the critics who damn football as a whole.
Now they’ve got to deal with a new-old emergency as the season may be turning the last bend and entering the final straight, but there are obstacles littered in the way of FIGC, Italy and football fans in general - and nobody wants to see Calcio fall flat on its face again. Can the latest scandal be swept under the carpet? Watch this space…



Luca Manes
Rome, Italy


goal.com

 

[ReBeL]

Italy soccer chief vows action on new match-fixing claims


ROME, April 14 (Reuters) - The president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has promised quick action after an investigation by magistrates in Naples threw up new allegations of match-fixing in Serie A during the 2004-05 season.

"There is a desire on the part of everybody to have a quick solution. Not so that we can forget the problems, but to clarify the situation and relaunch the sport," Giancarlo Abete was quoted as saying by Italian news agency ASCA on Saturday.

"We knew that there could be other difficult moments. We certainly will not underestimate these allegations."

The magistrates' findings are expected to be delivered to the FIGC's office of investigations next week.

The FIGC will then decide whether to hold an investigation of their own.

Even if they decide not to hold a trial, the new allegations represent a blow to the image of Italian football less than a week before UEFA's executive committee meet in Cardiff to vote on Italy's bid to hold Euro 2012, which faces competition from joint bids by Hungary and Croatia, and Poland and Ukraine.

Reuters

 

[ReBeL]

FIFA to discuss enforcing stronger match-fixing sanctions


FIFA is to discuss enforcing stronger measures to curb match-fixing which could include the suspension of national associations as well as clubs, president Sepp Blatter said on Sunday.

Last year, a match-fixing scandal in Italian football ended with Juventus being stripped of their last two Serie A titles and relegated to Serie B. Other clubs were also sanctioned.

Blatter told Reuters: "There is a strong disciplinary code and our aim is to enforce the code more strongly. In short more enforcement of the law."

On a four-day visit to India, Blatter said FIFA would be discussing match-fixing at its next Congress in May with measures set for "widespread implementation around the world."

Violence at stadiums is also on the agenda after police clashes with fans at recent European competition matches in Rome and Seville.

"Football is not a wonderful world now, but we can all make it into a better world by working together," Blatter said.

He added: "I don't want a situation where there are more policemen than spectators (at stadiums)."

Reuters

 

[Ahmedios]

Seven refs suspended by AIA

The Italian Referees’ Association has suspended the seven referees involved in the latest wave of the Calciopoli scandal.

The Naples prosecutors closed their match-fixing probe last week after almost a year and named 48 people suspected of wrongdoing.

The latest findings are now expected to be passed on to Saverio Borrelli, the head of the Italian Football Federation’s investigative team, who might open a new sporting trial.

AIA chief Cesare Gussoni had announced that it would wait for official documentation regarding the accusations before making any decisions.

But the referees’ governing body has now opted to suspend Paolo Bertini, Stefano Cassarà, Antonio Dattilo, Marco Gabriele, Gianluca Paparesta, Tiziano Pieri and Salvatore Racalbuto.

Assistants Marcello Ambrosino and Duccio Baglioni were also suspended as a precautionary measure.

A total of 39 games from the 2004-05 campaign were among a list of incriminated ties, 15 of which were not previously made known.

Former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi was again at the centre of the scandal after being accused of attempting to influence the outcome of the matches.

The now infamous Bianconeri official is also thought to have provided a number of referees with Swiss SIM cards that were considered safe from wiretapping.

Channel 4

 

[Ahmedios]

Juve: We have already paid

President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has reiterated that Juventus have already paid the price for their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal.

The Bianconeri were stripped of their last two League titles and demoted to Serie B, with a nine-point penalty, after last summer’s trial.

However, the Italian Football Federation are now going over new evidence which has been uncovered by public prosecutors in Naples, fuelling rumours that the Old Lady may spend another summer of uncertainty.

“We are firmly convinced that we have paid all our debts with the sporting justice system and we will do all that is in our power to see this acknowledged,” said Cobolli Gigli.

“The Federal Court’s sentence and the following arbitration clarified that any misdemeanours of our former employees and managers during the 2004-05 season have already been judged and punished.

“We have paid a huge price, both because of the many important players who chose to leave and of the economic losses which hit the club.”

Former chief Franzo Grande Stevens also declared that he believes the Bianconeri are safe from further punishment.

“Juventus cannot go on trial again, the law says 'ne bis in idem’ [you cannot be tried twice for the same offence],” he noted.

“The new facts are violations of Article 6 of the sporting code and Juventus have already been punished for this.

“The investigations have confirmed the existence of a system which was extraneous to the club’s Presidency and ownership, who in fact were never contacted over eight months, as proved by the transcripts of the phone tapping,” concluded Grande Stevens.

Channel 4

 

[ReBeL]

Phone taps in Italy spark a rush for cellular encryption


ROME: In trying to drum up business, it would seem that those who sell encrypted cellphones in Italy have a relatively easy task: Simply browse the major newspapers here.

Vice President Piero Fassino of the Democratic Left party could have benefited from one before comments he made regarding a sensitive bank takeover were splashed across the front pages.

Luciano Moggi, the former head of the Juventus soccer club, could have used one before Italy's soccer game-fixing scandal exploded after his phone conversations, which triggered the investigation, were intercepted by investigators and then leaked to the media.

And Prince Victor Emmanuel would have been well served by a secure cellphone before his conversations made public resulted in his arrest last year over allegations of providing prostitutes and dealing in illegal slot machines.

Indeed, numerous other Italian politicians, businessmen, soccer players and coaches, showgirls and actors have had their personal conversations transcribed by official or amateur snoops and then leaked for public consumption.

Not even the former head of Italy's top spy agency, Nicolo Pollari, is immune; transcripts of some of his conversations also found their way into the newspapers.

"Initially, we thought we would market to the big businesses, to lawyers and the government," said Ferdinando Peroglio, commercial director of Caspertech, a four-year-old Turin company that sells encrypted cellphone software. "But after the Juventus soccer scandal, we had so many clients that we had never thought to contact. We had a real boom of sales."

Whereas three years ago the company's only clients were the government and the military, last year 60 percent of sales were to everyday civilians.

Peroglio refused to provide exact sales numbers but said Caspertech's sales increased 100 percent from 2005 to 2006.

Enrico Comana, chief executive of Snapcom Italia, the Bergamo-based unit of an Israeli company that offers a similar product, sees the same trend.

"There is about 700 to 800 percent more interest now than at the same time last year," he said. "At the end of April, we will have done the same amount of business as all of last year. There is vigorous movement in the market."

What has spurred encryption sales is not so much the legal wiretapping authorized by Italian magistrates - though information about those calls is also frequently leaked to the press - but the widespread availability of wiretapping technology over the Internet that has created a growing pool of amateur eavesdroppers. Those snoops have a ready market for filched celebrity conversations in the Italian media.

"I suspect that there is some overreaction in the market," said Graham Titterington, a principal analyst for Ovum a telecom and software consultancy firm. Due to its niche nature, Titterington said it was difficult to gauge the health and sustainability of the market for encrypted cellphones.

When it comes to phone tapping, Brazil, Greece and Spain are other desirable markets, the encryption companies say, but in Western Europe, Italy remains peerless.

"No one is ever going to discuss sensitive issues with you on the phone," said Carlo Bonini, an investigative reporter for the newspaper La Repubblica. "Too many things have happened in this country."

He should know. Earlier this year, Bonini's name was among thousands that surfaced in a massive illegal wiretapping scandal that involved employees of Telecom Italia, Italy's largest phone company.

Twenty people were arrested, including the former chief of Telecom Italia security, in what investigators say was an attempt to use the intercepted phone conversations to blackmail Italian public figures.

Last week, the Italian Parliament weighed in on a proposal that would impose stiffer fines and longer jail terms for those, like journalists, who make public the contents of illegally monitored conversations. The decree passed in the lower house and now needs Senate approval.

Bonini said he understood the need to curb the publication of some of these transcripts but argued that the issue is less about privacy and more about Italy's notoriously slow moving judicial system.

"I don't think that we don't need a stricter privacy law - we already have it," Bonini said. "We need consequences. We need to see sanctions.

If no one is ever held accountable, then there is no way to stop the phenomenon."

The phone encryption companies sell a range of products - all legal, they insist - that they say can keep everything from cellphone text messages to actual voice conversations a secret.

The high-end package, which runs about $2,200 at both companies, includes the phone itself, which has to be a particular kind to use the encryption software.

Caspertech's software can be used only on phones running the Windows Mobile operating system, while Snapcom offers software that can be used on other platforms as well.

On the lower end, there is software that can cover up your SMS text message for €300, or $410. In the mid-range, you can scramble your fax or mask the content of your fixed-line calls for €1,100 and up.

One caveat for prospective customers: For full secrecy, the phones on both sides of a voice conversation must carry the software in advance of the call, making it less than ideal for spontaneous sneakiness.

Such "point to point" technology, which is used by both Snapcom and Caspertech, works like this: Once the software is activated through a personal key code, a user's voice is scrambled or encrypted with various algorithms.

The data is then sent over the normal GSM cellphone network, received by the listener's phone and then decrypted back into decipherable language, all of which causes a slight delay.

Peter van der Arend, chairman of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute's lawful interception committee, said in an e-mail that the technology appears to be totally legal.

"If somebody wants or needs end-to-end encryption on his mobile or fixed phone or any other communication, it cannot be forbidden," he said. That would, of course, include drug dealers and terrorists as well as everyday citizens.

But the question remains: Does the over-the-counter encryption technology actually work?

"Any company that gives you a 100 percent guarantee is opening themselves up to real problems," said Rolando Rosas, the U.S. development director for Snapcom, which operates in 40 countries.

Rosas believes that Snapcom's software is reliable in 90 percent of the cases.

"Nothing is 100 percent fool-proof - nothing, nothing, nothing," he added.

Herald Tribune

 

[Christina]

De Santis: Moggi Never Called Me, Facchetti Yes

The former referee involved in the Calciopoli scandal appeared on an Italian television program of 'Antenna 3’, where he gave his point of view and his 'truths' about the scandal which rocked Italian football in the past summer.


New revelations by Massimo De Sanctis risk to create a new storm in Italian football, as the former referee accused of manipulating matches in favour of Juventus declared that Luciano Moggi never called him, but on the other hand Inter’s Giacinto Facchetti was obsessive with his phone calls.

"I declare that I never, and I say never, spoke on the phone with Luciano Moggi and that I never took a foreign SIM card from him. Actually I will say more, I usually spoke on a regular basis with other football directors.

"I used to talk often with Facchetti and Meani. With Giacinto Facchetti I had a very good rapport and I must say that in various circumstances he was very obsessive.

"His requests at times went further than the law could permit. But I never took them into consideration, because when I went on the pitch I only thought about directing matches fairly.

"Even Moratti knows about these things. I hate talking about a person who unfortunately is not here anymore, but I'm very available to make public my telephone printouts, so that everyone can know that these rapports were real."

These revelations will probably not tarnish Inter's Scudetto celebrations, but will surely make Juve and their fans ask for more clarity in the investigations and a fairer, more balanced, judgement towards everyone.

goal.com

 

[Attilio the Hun]

Original link:http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=299623

Looking 'Inter' Calciopoli – Justice For Juve

It's been a long season for those lounging in Soccer's own personal purgatory. Many of us are still awaiting answers and justifications yet to be presented regarding perhaps the biggest soccer scandal in Italian history.

The question on many minds now has switched from who is guilty to a salient point: was cheating even really the scandal? Goal.com reader and Juventus fan Andrea Casula digs deep into the dirt to pull up a truth that is leaving many wriggling in their seats as he examines the role of Inter and shows that it isn’t just a black-and-white issue…

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, De Sanctis 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

Andrea Casula would like to forward suitable responses to Giancarlo Abete through "Giu le Mani Dalla Juve" on behalf of Juventus' English-speaking fan base.

This article represents the views of the writer and does not necessarily reflect any Goal.com position

 

[ReBeL]

Lippi's son sent for trial over sports agency probe


ROME, May 11 (Reuters) - The son of former Italy coach Marcello Lippi has been sent for trial over his involvement with sports management agency GEA World, judicial sources said on Friday.

Davide Lippi, who is accused of "unfair competition through the use of threats and violence", will appear before a court in Rome from June 21.

A long investigation has been looking into the operations of GEA, which used to manage the careers of several footballers and coaches.

Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, banned from football for five years for the match-fixing scandal which led to Juve's relegation, will also appear in court as part of the investigation along with his son Alessandro, who runs GEA.

Former Perugia president Luciano Gaucci was acquitted on Friday of any role in any criminal activities linked to GEA.

Marcello Lippi, who led Italy to World Cup glory last year, stepped down following the triumph partly because of press comment about his son's alleged involvement in the scandal.

Reuters

 

[joe5]

FOOTBALL / Referees under pressure

Driven up the wall in Italian rat race

Criticism of referees is nothing new in world soccer but the Italians have taken the analysis to a new level even though there has been no hint of impropriety from any of the officials still working.

Italian referees have received more media attention than many of the country's players this season after last year's match-fixing scandal heightened scrutiny of their performances.
Criticism of referees is nothing new in world soccer but the Italians have taken the analysis to a new level even though there has been no hint of impropriety from any of the officials still working.
Fans in other countries await team news on Fridays ahead of weekend fixtures but in Italy all anyone wants to know is the name of the referee.
Club Web sites flash up their assigned referee as soon as it is announced and then post detailed biographies and lists of recent controversial decisions.
The Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper publishes a huge matrix of numbers relating to referees, including home and away penalties awarded and performance marks given to them by journalists.

Abuse on field
In most European nations, the referee is subjected to abuse on the field but when he leaves the stadium and the post-match recriminations are over he is largely forgotten. He may be blamed for incompetence but rarely accused of cheating.
Italy's obsession with referees was highlighted in the 2002 World Cup when the nation blamed Ecuadorean referee Byron Moreno for their elimination by South Korea. Conspiracy theorists said South Korea were being favoured as they were tournament hosts. Last season's match-fixing scandal or "calciopoli", in which giants Juventus were demoted for trying to secure favourable officials, has intensified the fixation. Top referee Massimo De Santis was banned for four years after being found guilty of conspiring to rig Serie A games.
Other teams had points docked but the focus was on Juventus, who had been accused of gaining fortunate refereeing decisions long before the scandal broke. The subject continues to be a favourite topic even as Juve fight for promotion from the less than glamorous Serie B back up to the top flight.

Controversial
On Saturday, referee Nicola Ayroldi awarded Juventus a late, debateable penalty and sent off two Bologna players for protesting. Bologna sporting director Fabrizio Salvatori was furious.
"The disappointment is huge. Against Juventus, we are always unlucky. It could not have been a penalty. How do you justify a decision like that to the people?" he told the club Web site (www.bolognafc.it).
"It's understandable and logical that someone loses their patience in circumstances like this. If that was a penalty, they would have to give 10 or 20 in every game."
Cesare Gussoni, the head of Italian referees, criticised Ayroldi, the first time he has openly done such a thing, and also expressed disappointment in emerging referee Luca Marelli who had faced criticism for his handling of another Serie B game, Rimini v Bari.
"Ayroldi and Marelli were rather out of form and when a player is not at his best, the player is not criticised but the coach who put him on the pitch," Gussoni told reporters.
"Therefore I am the referee's assigner and I would have done well to have kept them both on the bench. We can say that it has been a matter of inexact decisions that deserve criticism."
Gussoni, who has been in charge of referees for the last six months, said he would like Italy's most famous former referee Pierluigi Collina to be the next assignment secretary.
"The whole day in Serie A and the rest in B went quite well but it weighs heavily that two matches went badly, even if no one is questioning their good faith," added Gussoni.
"If any referee has made a mistake in bad faith, he will be heavily punished."

Seven suspended
Last month the Italian Referees' Association (AIA) suspended seven referees and two linesmen after an investigation by magistrates threw up new allegations of match-fixing connected to the original inquiry.
In Germany, referee Robert Hoyzer was sentenced to two years and five months in prison in 2005 for fixing matches as part of a two-million-euro ($2.7-million) betting fraud. Such cases are isolated but it has not stopped Italy from distrusting every referee.

Reuters

 

[ReBeL]

The case against Milan


From a technical and tactical perspective, Milan's right to contest tonight's Champions League final against Liverpool cannot be questioned, after the team's demolition of Manchester United in the semi-final.

But the club is lucky to have been admitted to the competition at all this year after its involvement in the match-fixing scandal last year. Uefa, European football's governing body, did not want to admit Milan, reluctantly agreeing to do so when it realised that its statutes were not clear enough to stand up to a legal challenge had they kicked out Silvio Berlusconi's club. Uefa amended its statutes in January to close the loophole.

The media focus on Luciano Moggi, the former director-general of Juventus, deflected attention from the behaviour of the other clubs, including Milan, who were charged last July by the Italian Football Federation. Milan's arrival in the final has opened fresh scrutiny of what happened last summer, with Internazionale's Patrick Vieira, among others, questioning Milan's right to be involved.

Leonardo Meani, a restaurateur from Lodi, near Milan, was the club official responsible for looking after referees and their assistants on match day. Meani had long known what Moggi was up to.

In one phone call with referee Pierluigi Collina, Meani said: "I was talking to Carletto the other day and he told me that [at Juventus] Moggi used to tell him on Thursday who the ref would be on Sunday." In theory, that was impossible. The ostensibly random draw of match referees took place on Friday mornings. "Carletto" is Carlo Ancelotti, Juventus coach from 1999 to 2001 and now Milan coach.

The first part of Meani's solution to Moggi's control of referees, the federation alleged, was to create a network of linesmen, including Claudio Puglisi and Fabrizio Babini, who could be considered "on side" as far as the Milan cause was concerned.

The second part was to have these linesmen assigned to Milan matches by lobbying Gennaro Mazzei, the federation official responsible for assigning linesmen. The federation's investigators claimed that Milan's managing director, Adriano Galliani, condoned Meani's actions. The federation prosecutor, Stefano Palazzi, called for Milan to be kicked out of Serie A. Instead, the federation tribunal gave Milan a 44-point penalty for the 2005-06 season - ruling them out of European football this season - and a 15-point handicap for 2006-07. This was reduced on appeal to 30 points for 2005-06, pushing Milan back up to third, and a Champions League qualifying place, and eight points for this season.

Meani was banned from football for two years and six months. Galliani was banned for nine months, later reduced to five. Mazzei was banned for six months, while Puglisi and Babini were each banned for three months.

Berlusconi and Galliani have protested the club's innocence throughout. They claimed that Meani was not a club official at all, but a peripheral figure with no authority, acting autonomously. At the hearings, Milan's lawyers produced phone bills to show that Meani paid for all his own calls. Milan's only hope of overturning the penalties - outside the civil courts - lay with the arbitration service of the Italian Olympic Committee (Coni). The case was heard on 27 October by a panel of five highly respected lawyers. They found the federation had been correct in its interpretation of the sporting code and upheld the penalties.

"It is clear," they wrote, "that the behaviour of Mr Leonardo Meani, referees' official for AC Milan, was gravely at odds with the obligations of honesty and probity in having spoken directly with the person involved in choosing the match officials, putting him under pressure regarding the future selection of officials, and making implicit references to the grievances of the club's senior management." Meani, they said, "indicated the name of a linesman who would be 'appreciated' and obtained that linesman in the next match". The Coni panel found that Milan had a "direct responsibility" for his actions.

It was clear, they said, that the behaviour of Galliani was "at odds with the obligations of honesty and probity, in having tolerated and implicitly approved the actions of Mr Meani".

The Fifa president Sepp Blatter last week applauded Milan and Juventus for having taken their punishments on the chin instead of going to the courts. But the matter could end up in the courts anyway. Meani is one of around 40 people under investigation by Naples magistrates for sporting fraud, a crime which carries a maximum one-year prison sentence. Milan may rescue the footballing reputation of Serie A this evening, but Calciopoli (the scandal) and Milan's role in it are far from over.

Independent

 

[ReBeL]

Lippi awaits court verdict


The former Italy manager is in for a nervy summer after his World Cup triumph as his agent son faces corruption claims.

FOR ALMOST a year now, from the moment he left the Italy job with the ultimate golden handshake of a World Cup triumph, we have wondered where the next significant act of Marcello Lippi’s career might be played out.

But instead of Milan or Turin, it is to a Roman courtroom that the world now looks for evidence of where this grand old signore of coaches is heading. Davide, Lippi’s agent son, has gone on trial in the capital for his alleged role in the latest of Italy’s summer scandals.

Should Davide be found guilty of “unfair competition through the use of threats and violence” during his time as an associate of GEA World, the Roman sports agency, it is hard to see how Marcello could work in Italy again, as several of the allegations relate directly to his time and conduct as national coach.

Even if clearance is forthcoming, it seems likely his next job will be abroad: new legislation, belatedly aimed at dismantling the culture of nepotism and cronyism embedded in the Italian game, will make it illegal for an agent to have any dealings with a club where a relative is employed. Davide has players in all the ports where his father would consider docking.

The image of both men stands to suffer in the coming months. The case against Davide is that he courted and signed players before he had passed his accreditation exams and used Marcello’s influence as bait.

The courts will cite the example of Giorgio Chiellini, an emerging left-back, who was allegedly informed by Davide that a move to Juventus would improve his chances of involvement in the national squad. Marcello denies these claims.

The allegations are persistent and varied. The former agent of Manuele Blasi, another mainstay of the Italian domestic scene, claims the midfielder was told his Juventus contract would be extended and his name be considered for national service only if he switched his allegiances to Lippi Jr.

At the apex of GEA World, which until its dissolution last summer represented about 230 leading players and agents, sat Alessandro Moggi, son of former long-term Juventus general manager Luciano, the key player in the “octopus” of systematic and illegal control that was exposed in 2006.

Davide Lippi, the two Moggis and others connected to GEA World are expected to be called to the stand in Rome over the summer.

Times

 

[ReBeL]

Calciopoli II names 'organisers'


The second Calciopoli investigation has charged 37 people, including Luciano Moggi, Antonio Giraudo and referee Massimo De Santis.

The original trial saw Juventus demoted to Serie B, while Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, Reggina and Arezzo were handed points penalties in the summer of 2006.

The Naples public prosecutor has completed another inquest and today 37 people were named.

Former Bianconeri directors Moggi and Giraudo, ex-refereeing designators Paolo Bergamo and Pierluigi Pairetto, referee De Santis and FIGC Vice-President Innocenzo Mazzini were accused of being “the creators and organisers of a criminal association.”

These are all people who have already been involved in the original Calciopoli trial and have all been removed from their positions.

According to the Naples prosecutor, there are 29 games from the 2004-05 Serie A season that have been investigated for alleged sporting fraud, while the only Serie B match implicated was Arezzo-Salernitana on May 14, 2005.

The majority of the names and encounters have already been investigated and judged in the trial last summer.

In fact some, such as former Federation President Franco Carraro and refereeing organiser Tullio Lanese, have been cleared on appeal.

Other figures in the list of 37 include Lazio President Claudio Lotito, Reggina patron Lillo Foti, Fiorentina chief Diego Della Valle and former Milan refereeing liaison Leonardo Meani.

Channel 4

 

[ReBeL]

Moggi preparing to defend himself in court


ROME (AP) - Luciano Moggi is preparing to defending himself in court if indicted following the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian soccer last year.

The former Juventus official might get his chance now that prosecutors have asked a court in Naples to indict him and 36 other former and present soccer officials implicated in last year's probe. A judge has to decide whether to indict the 37 people, or some of them, or drop the charges.

"The requests by the prosecutors were expected. I knew and my lawyers knew," Moggi was quoted by Italian media Wednesday. "Anyhow, I'm confidently awaiting a possible trial. I'll be able to do what until now I haven't been permitted to do: defend myself."

Moggi, who turned 70 Tuesday, is accused of conspiring to commit a crime.

Moggi was already banned from soccer for five years and fined 50,000 euros (C$72,870) by a sports court last year for influencing the outcome of matches. He denies any wrongdoing.

Associated Press

 

[The Arif]

2006 Football scandal: 16 accused of criminal association

Napoli prosecutors Filippo Beatrice and Giuseppe Narducci asked for court trial for 37 accused in the 2006 football scandal inquiry, with accusations of criminal association and fraud in sport competitions. Luciano Moggi, Antonio Giraudo, Innocenzo Mazzini, Paolo Bergamo, Pierluigi Pairetto e Massimo De Santis are accused of being "promoters and organizers of a criminal association". The fraud has been indicated for 29 Serie A matches in 2004-2005 season.

This is the complete list of the accused:

Marcello Ambrosino, Duccio Baglioni, Paolo Bergamo, Paolo Bertini, Franco Carraro, Stefano Cassarà, Enrico Ceniccola, Antonio Dattilo, Massimo De Santis, Andrea Della Valle, Diego Della Valle, Paolo Dondarini, Mariano Fabiani, Maria Grazia Fazi, Giuseppe Foschetti, Pasquale Foti, Marco Gabriele, Silvio Gemignani, Francesco Ghirelli, Antonio Giraudo, Alessandro Griselli, Tullio Lanese, Claudio Lotito, Gennaro Mazzei, Innocenzo Mazzini, Leonardo Meani, Sandro Mencucci, Domenico Messina, Luciano Moggi, Pierluigi Pairetto, Tiziano Pieri, Claudio Puglisi, Salvatore Racalbuto, Gianluca Rocchi, Pasquale Rodomonti, Ignazio Scardina, Stefano Titomanlio.


calciomercato

 

[ReBeL]

Italy sighs ahead of match-fixing hearing


MILAN (Reuters) - A preliminary hearing takes place in Naples on Saturday aimed at deciding whether 37 people accused of sporting fraud in Italy's match-fixing scandal should be sent to a criminal trial.

Last year a sports tribunal stripped Juventus of their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles and relegated them to Serie B after being found guilty of trying to gain favourable referees to influence results in 2004-2005.

AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, Reggina and Arezzo suffered points deductions because of their involvement in the latest of a number of match-rigging incidents in Italy in the past 25 years.

Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi was banned from football for five years with referees, club directors and former Italian federation officials also punished.

Now the scandal has reached the criminal courts after two Naples prosecutors decided charges against individuals could be brought, forcing soccer-mad Italy to relive the pain of last season, although clubs should be safe from further punishment.

Moggi possibly faces prison if sent to trial and found guilty while Lazio president Claudio Lotito and Fiorentina honorary president Diego Della Valle are among the accused.

The early hearings and a possible trial could take months but the Italian League caused an early stir late on Thursday by hinting it could look for compensation as a victim of the match-fixing if anyone is found guilty.

Juventus achieved immediate promotion last season and are now third in Serie A having managed to retain a loyal fan base and keep hold of some of their best players.

Reuters

 

[ReBeL]

Former Juve director Moggi faces fresh accusations


NAPLES, Italy, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Prosecutors have opened a new investigation into a former Juventus director at the centre of last year's match-fixing scandal, alleging he continued to have an influence on Italian soccer after he was banned.

Magistrates presented new wiretaps at a preliminary hearing in Naples on Saturday that will be used in the fresh probe into former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi and other people for alleged criminal association, judicial sources said.

The wiretaps concern phone calls between October 2006 and March 2007, after a sports tribunal banned Moggi from football for five years as well as punishing referees, club directors and former Italian federation officials.

One of the sources, who declined to be identified, told Reuters the wiretaps indicated Moggi "still had an influence" on Italian soccer after he was banned. The source added the new probe did not include any further accusations of match-fixing. "I don't think (the new documents) regard felonies but I have not read the papers yet," Moggi's lawyer Paolo Trofino told reporters at the court house.

"It seems to me they are normal contacts between Moggi and his collaborators but it is necessary to see what's in the documents. Moggi talks to anyone."

Saturday's hearing was held to decide whether 37 people accused of sporting fraud for their involvement in the scandal, including Moggi, should be sent to a criminal trial.

The hearing was adjourned to Feb. 8.

Moggi possibly faces prison if sent to trial and found guilty. Lazio president Claudio Lotito and Fiorentina honorary president Diego Della Valle are also among the accused.

Reuters