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Unrepentant Cannavaro determined to remain captain
ROME, June 5 (Reuters) - Italy's Fabio Cannavaro has no intention of giving up his role as captain despite criticism of his comments about Luciano Moggi, the former Juventus general manager at the centre of the scandal in Serie A.
The Juve defender has been under pressure since his remarks about Moggi, whose telephone conversations with high-ranking officials in the Italian game about refereeing appointments sparked an investigation into allegations of match-fixing.
At a news conference last week, Cannavaro suggested Moggi's behaviour was no different from the vast majority of top-level club officials but he changed his tune a day later saying he had "not been clear in explaining the meaning of my thoughts".
"I've got absolutely nothing to hide and nothing to feel ashamed of," he was quoted as saying in La Repubblica on Monday.
"There has been a campaign to strip me of the captain's armband but I'm not worried. I know I deserve it and I've got the support of the coach and my team mates."
Even so, the past few weeks have been a bumpy ride for the 33-year-old Cannavaro.
Last month his house was searched by Italian tax police as part of an investigation into Juventus's transfer dealings.
On Saturday, less than 24 hours after Italy's final World Cup warm-up against Ukraine in Lausanne, he travelled to Rome to be questioned by magistrates as part of a probe into soccer management company GEA World, which is run by Moggi's son Alessandro.
"What bothered me the most in these last few weeks was being misinterpreted at that press conference," said Cannavaro.
"I never defended Moggi. I never defended anyone. I clearly said that whoever had made a mistake should pay for it.
"To a specific question about him (Moggi) I simply said that he did his job as general manager well. He always behaved in the right way with the team.
"If I had said the opposite I would have been a hypocrite."
Italy open their World Cup Group E campaign against Ghana on June 12 in Hanover before facing the United States and Czech Republic.
Reuters
ROME, June 5 (Reuters) - Italy's Fabio Cannavaro has no intention of giving up his role as captain despite criticism of his comments about Luciano Moggi, the former Juventus general manager at the centre of the scandal in Serie A.
The Juve defender has been under pressure since his remarks about Moggi, whose telephone conversations with high-ranking officials in the Italian game about refereeing appointments sparked an investigation into allegations of match-fixing.
At a news conference last week, Cannavaro suggested Moggi's behaviour was no different from the vast majority of top-level club officials but he changed his tune a day later saying he had "not been clear in explaining the meaning of my thoughts".
"I've got absolutely nothing to hide and nothing to feel ashamed of," he was quoted as saying in La Repubblica on Monday.
"There has been a campaign to strip me of the captain's armband but I'm not worried. I know I deserve it and I've got the support of the coach and my team mates."
Even so, the past few weeks have been a bumpy ride for the 33-year-old Cannavaro.
Last month his house was searched by Italian tax police as part of an investigation into Juventus's transfer dealings.
On Saturday, less than 24 hours after Italy's final World Cup warm-up against Ukraine in Lausanne, he travelled to Rome to be questioned by magistrates as part of a probe into soccer management company GEA World, which is run by Moggi's son Alessandro.
"What bothered me the most in these last few weeks was being misinterpreted at that press conference," said Cannavaro.
"I never defended Moggi. I never defended anyone. I clearly said that whoever had made a mistake should pay for it.
"To a specific question about him (Moggi) I simply said that he did his job as general manager well. He always behaved in the right way with the team.
"If I had said the opposite I would have been a hypocrite."
Italy open their World Cup Group E campaign against Ghana on June 12 in Hanover before facing the United States and Czech Republic.
Reuters
Italian referee who was pulled from World Cup meets with Naples prosecutors
ROME (AP) - Italian referee Massimo De Santis met Monday with Naples prosecutors who have been investigating the soccer scandal that is rocking the nation.
De Santis, whose accreditation for the World Cup was yanked after the scandal surfaced, has requested that the investigation be transferred from Naples to Rome, according to his defence lawyer, Costantino Cambi. De Santis denies wrongdoing.
Also Monday, recently appointed Italian soccer commissioner Guido Rossi was to meet with Milan vice-president and managing director Adriano Galliani, who also is president of the Italian soccer league.
Rossi was appointed May 16 to clean up Italian soccer in the wake of the scandal.
Associated Press
ROME (AP) - Italian referee Massimo De Santis met Monday with Naples prosecutors who have been investigating the soccer scandal that is rocking the nation.
De Santis, whose accreditation for the World Cup was yanked after the scandal surfaced, has requested that the investigation be transferred from Naples to Rome, according to his defence lawyer, Costantino Cambi. De Santis denies wrongdoing.
Also Monday, recently appointed Italian soccer commissioner Guido Rossi was to meet with Milan vice-president and managing director Adriano Galliani, who also is president of the Italian soccer league.
Rossi was appointed May 16 to clean up Italian soccer in the wake of the scandal.
Associated Press
Blatter calls for Italian investigation to be completed quickly
MUNICH, Germany (AP) — FIFA's president wants quick action from Italian investigators considering punishments in a corruption scandal that has rocked Italy.
Sepp Blatter admitted Tuesday the Italian scandal was "definitely" a concern and a distraction. While attending the opening of the International Broadcast Center for the 2006 World Cup, which kicks off Friday, Blatter sought decisions from the investigators sometime next month.
"At the end of the World Cup, or end of July, a decision must be reached to know if there are any clubs that should be sanctioned," he said.
On the positive side, Blatter said the reaction in Italy had been swift and he was confident the FIFA Congress, meeting Wednesday and Thursday in Munich, would vote in favor of reforms that will help stamp out corruption.
Blatter proposed a July 31 deadline for Italian investigators to decide if a club or clubs would be sanctioned, saying European competitions would be compromised otherwise.
Blatter and UEFA president Lennart Johansson planned to meet newly appointed Italian soccer commissioner Guido Rossi in Munich later Tuesday and to brief the congress on the talks.
Corruption is a global issue for soccer, but had added significance in Italy, said Blatter.
"It's naturally something very, very important when something happens in Italy," Blatter said. "Calcio (soccer) is more than a religion in Italy — it's a style of life. It's part of the population.
"Everybody is in calcio. We are very affected by what happened."
Franz Beckenbauer, head of the Germany 2006 World Cup organizing committee and one of soccer's greats, expressed concerns about the impact of the scandal on the Azzurri.
"I hope the Italian team won't suffer; I'm a great fan of the Italian team," Beckenbauer said. "Before the scandal, Italy was one of the great favorites for the World Cup. To see how it (the investigation) is unfolding, it's not best for the team's preparation.
"I hope they would not lose their focus and, for the World Cup at least, be able to concentrate on the World Cup exclusively."
The Italians open next Monday against Ghana at Hanover in Group E. The tournament kicks off Friday with host Germany against Costa Rica at Munich.
Associated Press
MUNICH, Germany (AP) — FIFA's president wants quick action from Italian investigators considering punishments in a corruption scandal that has rocked Italy.
Sepp Blatter admitted Tuesday the Italian scandal was "definitely" a concern and a distraction. While attending the opening of the International Broadcast Center for the 2006 World Cup, which kicks off Friday, Blatter sought decisions from the investigators sometime next month.
"At the end of the World Cup, or end of July, a decision must be reached to know if there are any clubs that should be sanctioned," he said.
On the positive side, Blatter said the reaction in Italy had been swift and he was confident the FIFA Congress, meeting Wednesday and Thursday in Munich, would vote in favor of reforms that will help stamp out corruption.
Blatter proposed a July 31 deadline for Italian investigators to decide if a club or clubs would be sanctioned, saying European competitions would be compromised otherwise.
Blatter and UEFA president Lennart Johansson planned to meet newly appointed Italian soccer commissioner Guido Rossi in Munich later Tuesday and to brief the congress on the talks.
Corruption is a global issue for soccer, but had added significance in Italy, said Blatter.
"It's naturally something very, very important when something happens in Italy," Blatter said. "Calcio (soccer) is more than a religion in Italy — it's a style of life. It's part of the population.
"Everybody is in calcio. We are very affected by what happened."
Franz Beckenbauer, head of the Germany 2006 World Cup organizing committee and one of soccer's greats, expressed concerns about the impact of the scandal on the Azzurri.
"I hope the Italian team won't suffer; I'm a great fan of the Italian team," Beckenbauer said. "Before the scandal, Italy was one of the great favorites for the World Cup. To see how it (the investigation) is unfolding, it's not best for the team's preparation.
"I hope they would not lose their focus and, for the World Cup at least, be able to concentrate on the World Cup exclusively."
The Italians open next Monday against Ghana at Hanover in Group E. The tournament kicks off Friday with host Germany against Costa Rica at Munich.
Associated Press
Soccer to set up independent ethics panel
MUNICH, Germany - FIFA will set up an independent ethics committee to combat scandals involving referee bribing and match-fixing.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Monday the new panel will be the key item on the agenda of the FIFA Congress, which starts Wednesday, two days before the opening match of the World Cup.
"It's an important step forward," Blatter said. "I'm sure the congress will follow up. It's necessary where there are deviations in football."
He said a truly independent ethics committee "given the tools" to work effectively should replace a current ethics committee format that has an executive committee member in charge. Blatter gave a three-month timetable after the World Cup for the new guidelines and powers to be worked out.
FIFA's executive committee also decided to accept World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines, avoiding a conflict before the World Cup.
But while adopting WADA's minimum two-year doping sanctions, Blatter said FIFA reserved the right to treat each case on its merits.
Previously, FIFA wanted to impose minimum six-month bans. WADA warned that soccer's place in the Olympics would be at stake if FIFA did not accept the standard two-year minimums.
"I'm pleased to say we've reached agreement with WADA," said Blatter, adding that the "principle of individual case management is upheld."
FIFA's amended disciplinary code "will mention words 'in principle' — individual case management allows for flexibility upward or downward," in sanctions, he said.
Appearing at a news conference after FIFA's executive committee meetings, Blatter also held up an Olympic oath-style "declaration" that all players and officials must sign, promising fair play at the World Cup.
As a separate investigation on the bribery scandal that has rocked Italian soccer continues, Blatter said an increased focus on referees and an ethics committee with real powers would help address some problems.
"We've had to note that the system applicable to organizing football is not faultless and a number of scandals have affected football — for instance, the problem with referees," Blatter said. "We realize there were similar problems with other associations. I'll not mention all places there were fire — or smoke — Brazil, Belgium, one of the Balkan states.
"When you see a circle drawn, the referee is at the heart of it."
Italian referee Massimo De Santis has been barred from the World Cup after being implicated in the scandal which is centered on Juventus and involves allegations of match-fixing, illegal betting and manipulation of referee assignments.
Blatter said the introduction of professional referees in the wealthy leagues and a transfer system for officials between continents would help.
Associated Press
MUNICH, Germany - FIFA will set up an independent ethics committee to combat scandals involving referee bribing and match-fixing.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Monday the new panel will be the key item on the agenda of the FIFA Congress, which starts Wednesday, two days before the opening match of the World Cup.
"It's an important step forward," Blatter said. "I'm sure the congress will follow up. It's necessary where there are deviations in football."
He said a truly independent ethics committee "given the tools" to work effectively should replace a current ethics committee format that has an executive committee member in charge. Blatter gave a three-month timetable after the World Cup for the new guidelines and powers to be worked out.
FIFA's executive committee also decided to accept World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines, avoiding a conflict before the World Cup.
But while adopting WADA's minimum two-year doping sanctions, Blatter said FIFA reserved the right to treat each case on its merits.
Previously, FIFA wanted to impose minimum six-month bans. WADA warned that soccer's place in the Olympics would be at stake if FIFA did not accept the standard two-year minimums.
"I'm pleased to say we've reached agreement with WADA," said Blatter, adding that the "principle of individual case management is upheld."
FIFA's amended disciplinary code "will mention words 'in principle' — individual case management allows for flexibility upward or downward," in sanctions, he said.
Appearing at a news conference after FIFA's executive committee meetings, Blatter also held up an Olympic oath-style "declaration" that all players and officials must sign, promising fair play at the World Cup.
As a separate investigation on the bribery scandal that has rocked Italian soccer continues, Blatter said an increased focus on referees and an ethics committee with real powers would help address some problems.
"We've had to note that the system applicable to organizing football is not faultless and a number of scandals have affected football — for instance, the problem with referees," Blatter said. "We realize there were similar problems with other associations. I'll not mention all places there were fire — or smoke — Brazil, Belgium, one of the Balkan states.
"When you see a circle drawn, the referee is at the heart of it."
Italian referee Massimo De Santis has been barred from the World Cup after being implicated in the scandal which is centered on Juventus and involves allegations of match-fixing, illegal betting and manipulation of referee assignments.
Blatter said the introduction of professional referees in the wealthy leagues and a transfer system for officials between continents would help.
Associated Press
The Milan "system"
Ecco altri tre documenti che scoperchiano il sistema-Milan
09:01 del 05 giugno
Dopo le nuove intercettazioni sul Milan, Galliani si "ribella" contro i giornali ma per la prima volta è preoccupato ed emergono tre nuovi documenti compromettenti.
Nella primavera 2005 in almeno tre riprese gli investigatori descrivono il "sistema rossonero" di condizionamento degli arbitri. Oggi l'incontro con Guido Rossi, ma il commissariamento della Lega è nelle mani di Borrelli.
Se Adriano Galliani venerdì era «incazzato nero» contro certi giornali e sabato preferiva tacere per non esternare la sua «rabbia», ieri mattina, al terzultimo giorno di questo mestissimo raduno degli sponsor del Milan in Costa Smeralda, è esploso. Ma per la prima volta si è cominciato a preoccupare seriamente: ha chiamato l’avvocato Cantamessa, ha dettato un comunicato tonitruante («Il Milan si ribella») e ha iniziato a pensare a mettere su una vera difesa. Per la sua traballante poltrona di presidente di Lega e per il Milan che mai come ora è parso rischiare la retrocessione.
Sono passati appena venti giorni da quando Silvio Berlusconi, trionfante al fianco del suo vice, disse che il Milan pretendeva almeno due scudetti sottratti ai rossoneri dal sistema Moggi. «Siamo le prime vittime» è stato il tormentone di questa settimane. Una affermazione che oggi, alla luce delle indagini dei carabinieri di Roma, appare avventata anche a molti tifosi milanisti.
Dicevamo di Galliani. Che ieri ha avuto la conferma di aver perso definitivamente anche lo storico appoggio del primo quotidiano italiano, la Gazzetta dello Sport. Dopo l’attacco di sabato dell’ex direttore Candido Cannavò, ieri la rosea è andata giù piatta. La cosa che più ha fatto imbufalire Galliani non è stato l’autorevole fondo con cui il vice direttore Ruggero Palombo ha promosso il Milan al secondo posto della speciale classifica di Calciopoli alle spalle della Juve di Moggi. E' stato un perfido trafiletto, in coda al giornale, nella pagina dei libri, dove un anonimo estensore (il direttore?) lo invitava senza mezzi termini a fare come il "Barone Rampante" di Calvino: salire sulla prima mongolfiera che passa e sparire. Togliersi dai maroni , direbbero dalle sue parti. Mollare la presidenza della Lega.
Ma non è finita. La cosa che più lo ha allarmato non è stato il puntuale resoconto in cui il capo dello sport de La Repubblica Fabrizio Bocca ha messo a nudo «il sistemino Milan» ironizzando sul «lato comico della vicenda», ovvero sulla «faccia tosta» di Moggi che dava all'alleato rossonero «qualche bella fregatura».
E' stato l'accostamento, che quasi tutti i giornali hanno fatto, fra il suo incontro odierno - programmato da tempo - con Guido Rossi e la presunta convocazione del commissario della Federcalcio per mandarlo a casa. E ancora, fra il suo tentativo di ridimensionare le responsabilità del Milan nonostante le intercettazioni, e la considerazione opposta di Borelli sul fatto che la rete del malaffare del pallone fosse molto estesa.
Ecco, Borrelli. Il nuovo capo dell'Ufficio indagini federale è il vero spettro che agita le notti e i giorni dei dirigenti rossoneri. Non solo perché quando era il procuratore capo di Milano fece vedere i sorci verdi a Silvio Berlusconi. Ma perché proprio Borrelli può essere lo strumento che consentirà a Guido Rossi di fare quell'intervento risolutivo che ormai tutti aspettano: commissariare Galliani o almeno, costringerlo ad un passo indietro che consenta ai club di A e B, che pure lo votarono compatti, di scegliersi una guida libera da conflitti di interesse. E soprattutto libera dal peso ingombrante di intercettazioni ed indagini sempre più compromettenti.
Tutto dipenderà da come Borelli concluderà le indagini fra meno di due settimane: se il Milan sarà tirato in ballo pesantemente, come pare inevitabile, nessuno potrà salvare Galliani. Che questo lo sa benissimo e si agita in maniera scomposta. Facendo altri danni. Sabato, per smontare l'ipotesi di una combine in Udinese-Milan, ha detto di aver comprato Janculovsky «sei mesi prima»: quando era vietato, ha subito notato Zamparini.
Ieri, si è fatto schermo di un passaggio dell'informativa dei carabinieri in cui le responsabilità del Milan sarebbero inferiori a quelle della Juve di Moggi. Cosa che nessuno discute. Ma che il Milan fosse parte del sistema malato è provato dagli investigatori aldilà di ogni ragionevole dubbio.
Il primo documento che inchioda il Milan è datato 29 marzo 2005. E' una richiesta di proroga delle indagini, in corso ormai da dieci mesi. A proposito del sistema Galliani si legge: «Nello specifico settore le risultanze emergenti dalle attività tecniche in atto e dalle complessive indagini continuano invece a produrre elementi utili a conferma delle attività di controllo del potere arbitrale e delle conseguenti commistioni ed attività di pressione esercitate in particolare sui designatori da parte della società calcistica del Milan. Infatti, sulla base degli elementi acquisiti si è riscontrato che, mentre sul piano decisionale-politico del sistema calcio vi sono interessi condivisi tra le due società ed in particolare una sostanziale convergenza, sul piano meramente sportivo, invece, vi è un serrato confronto - in relazione anche all'altalenanza dei risultati sportivi - tra il gruppo guidato da Moggi e quello guidato dai dirigenti del Milan. Entrambi i contendenti, per la parte di competenza, hanno instaurato rapporti di natura commistiva con tutto il sistema arbitrale ed in particolare con i designatori su cui ognuno dei due gruppi fa pressione per giungere al proprio fine. L'attività tecnica sta facendo emergere in maniera chiara che i due poteri forti del calcio italiano, ossia la JUVE ed il MILAN pur se alleati per quanto riguarda le scelte di palazzo, risultano, invece, avversari per quanto riguarda il sistema arbitrale anche se emerge nitidamente una maggiore capacità di dominio e controllo del MOGGI in relazione alle sue potenzialità».
Due settimane più tardi, in una nuova richiesta di proroga delle indagini, il passaggio è ancora più netto.«L'attività tecnica in atto continua a produrre conferme ed elementi utili sull'attività di controllo del potere arbitrale da parte del MILAN. Sulla base degli elementi acquisiti si è ancor di più comprovato (…) che l'altro corpo e forte potere del calcio italiano è il MILAN: questi, contrapponendosi sotto alcuni aspetti a quello della Juventus, determina a proprio favore tutta l'attività calcistica, le designazioni arbitrali, nonché le decisioni di questi, senza dimenticare che il Presidente del Milan è anche il Presidente della Lega Calcio».
Passano altre due settimane e si registra una terza richiesta di proroga: «L'attività tecnica continua a fornire ampie conferme che anche il MILAN - in misura autonoma e comunque non organizzata - riesca ad incidere su alcune decisioni arbitrali».
da "Il Romanista"
scusatemi se non scrivo in inglese......
forza Juve!!!!!!!!!!
Ecco altri tre documenti che scoperchiano il sistema-Milan
09:01 del 05 giugno
Dopo le nuove intercettazioni sul Milan, Galliani si "ribella" contro i giornali ma per la prima volta è preoccupato ed emergono tre nuovi documenti compromettenti.
Nella primavera 2005 in almeno tre riprese gli investigatori descrivono il "sistema rossonero" di condizionamento degli arbitri. Oggi l'incontro con Guido Rossi, ma il commissariamento della Lega è nelle mani di Borrelli.
Se Adriano Galliani venerdì era «incazzato nero» contro certi giornali e sabato preferiva tacere per non esternare la sua «rabbia», ieri mattina, al terzultimo giorno di questo mestissimo raduno degli sponsor del Milan in Costa Smeralda, è esploso. Ma per la prima volta si è cominciato a preoccupare seriamente: ha chiamato l’avvocato Cantamessa, ha dettato un comunicato tonitruante («Il Milan si ribella») e ha iniziato a pensare a mettere su una vera difesa. Per la sua traballante poltrona di presidente di Lega e per il Milan che mai come ora è parso rischiare la retrocessione.
Sono passati appena venti giorni da quando Silvio Berlusconi, trionfante al fianco del suo vice, disse che il Milan pretendeva almeno due scudetti sottratti ai rossoneri dal sistema Moggi. «Siamo le prime vittime» è stato il tormentone di questa settimane. Una affermazione che oggi, alla luce delle indagini dei carabinieri di Roma, appare avventata anche a molti tifosi milanisti.
Dicevamo di Galliani. Che ieri ha avuto la conferma di aver perso definitivamente anche lo storico appoggio del primo quotidiano italiano, la Gazzetta dello Sport. Dopo l’attacco di sabato dell’ex direttore Candido Cannavò, ieri la rosea è andata giù piatta. La cosa che più ha fatto imbufalire Galliani non è stato l’autorevole fondo con cui il vice direttore Ruggero Palombo ha promosso il Milan al secondo posto della speciale classifica di Calciopoli alle spalle della Juve di Moggi. E' stato un perfido trafiletto, in coda al giornale, nella pagina dei libri, dove un anonimo estensore (il direttore?) lo invitava senza mezzi termini a fare come il "Barone Rampante" di Calvino: salire sulla prima mongolfiera che passa e sparire. Togliersi dai maroni , direbbero dalle sue parti. Mollare la presidenza della Lega.
Ma non è finita. La cosa che più lo ha allarmato non è stato il puntuale resoconto in cui il capo dello sport de La Repubblica Fabrizio Bocca ha messo a nudo «il sistemino Milan» ironizzando sul «lato comico della vicenda», ovvero sulla «faccia tosta» di Moggi che dava all'alleato rossonero «qualche bella fregatura».
E' stato l'accostamento, che quasi tutti i giornali hanno fatto, fra il suo incontro odierno - programmato da tempo - con Guido Rossi e la presunta convocazione del commissario della Federcalcio per mandarlo a casa. E ancora, fra il suo tentativo di ridimensionare le responsabilità del Milan nonostante le intercettazioni, e la considerazione opposta di Borelli sul fatto che la rete del malaffare del pallone fosse molto estesa.
Ecco, Borrelli. Il nuovo capo dell'Ufficio indagini federale è il vero spettro che agita le notti e i giorni dei dirigenti rossoneri. Non solo perché quando era il procuratore capo di Milano fece vedere i sorci verdi a Silvio Berlusconi. Ma perché proprio Borrelli può essere lo strumento che consentirà a Guido Rossi di fare quell'intervento risolutivo che ormai tutti aspettano: commissariare Galliani o almeno, costringerlo ad un passo indietro che consenta ai club di A e B, che pure lo votarono compatti, di scegliersi una guida libera da conflitti di interesse. E soprattutto libera dal peso ingombrante di intercettazioni ed indagini sempre più compromettenti.
Tutto dipenderà da come Borelli concluderà le indagini fra meno di due settimane: se il Milan sarà tirato in ballo pesantemente, come pare inevitabile, nessuno potrà salvare Galliani. Che questo lo sa benissimo e si agita in maniera scomposta. Facendo altri danni. Sabato, per smontare l'ipotesi di una combine in Udinese-Milan, ha detto di aver comprato Janculovsky «sei mesi prima»: quando era vietato, ha subito notato Zamparini.
Ieri, si è fatto schermo di un passaggio dell'informativa dei carabinieri in cui le responsabilità del Milan sarebbero inferiori a quelle della Juve di Moggi. Cosa che nessuno discute. Ma che il Milan fosse parte del sistema malato è provato dagli investigatori aldilà di ogni ragionevole dubbio.
Il primo documento che inchioda il Milan è datato 29 marzo 2005. E' una richiesta di proroga delle indagini, in corso ormai da dieci mesi. A proposito del sistema Galliani si legge: «Nello specifico settore le risultanze emergenti dalle attività tecniche in atto e dalle complessive indagini continuano invece a produrre elementi utili a conferma delle attività di controllo del potere arbitrale e delle conseguenti commistioni ed attività di pressione esercitate in particolare sui designatori da parte della società calcistica del Milan. Infatti, sulla base degli elementi acquisiti si è riscontrato che, mentre sul piano decisionale-politico del sistema calcio vi sono interessi condivisi tra le due società ed in particolare una sostanziale convergenza, sul piano meramente sportivo, invece, vi è un serrato confronto - in relazione anche all'altalenanza dei risultati sportivi - tra il gruppo guidato da Moggi e quello guidato dai dirigenti del Milan. Entrambi i contendenti, per la parte di competenza, hanno instaurato rapporti di natura commistiva con tutto il sistema arbitrale ed in particolare con i designatori su cui ognuno dei due gruppi fa pressione per giungere al proprio fine. L'attività tecnica sta facendo emergere in maniera chiara che i due poteri forti del calcio italiano, ossia la JUVE ed il MILAN pur se alleati per quanto riguarda le scelte di palazzo, risultano, invece, avversari per quanto riguarda il sistema arbitrale anche se emerge nitidamente una maggiore capacità di dominio e controllo del MOGGI in relazione alle sue potenzialità».
Due settimane più tardi, in una nuova richiesta di proroga delle indagini, il passaggio è ancora più netto.«L'attività tecnica in atto continua a produrre conferme ed elementi utili sull'attività di controllo del potere arbitrale da parte del MILAN. Sulla base degli elementi acquisiti si è ancor di più comprovato (…) che l'altro corpo e forte potere del calcio italiano è il MILAN: questi, contrapponendosi sotto alcuni aspetti a quello della Juventus, determina a proprio favore tutta l'attività calcistica, le designazioni arbitrali, nonché le decisioni di questi, senza dimenticare che il Presidente del Milan è anche il Presidente della Lega Calcio».
Passano altre due settimane e si registra una terza richiesta di proroga: «L'attività tecnica continua a fornire ampie conferme che anche il MILAN - in misura autonoma e comunque non organizzata - riesca ad incidere su alcune decisioni arbitrali».
da "Il Romanista"
scusatemi se non scrivo in inglese......
forza Juve!!!!!!!!!!
Italian PM jokes about domestic soccer scandal
BERLIN, June 7 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi made light on Wednesday of a soccer scandal gripping his nation, telling a German newspaper a joke about biased refereeing in matches involving champions Juventus.
Prodi was asked by German weekly Die Zeit whether the problems afflicting Italian soccer had come to light because of his recent election victory over former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, owner of top club AC Milan.
"Honestly: I don't know," Prodi told the paper, before telling a joke about Brazil's Ronaldo, formerly of Inter Milan, which the Italian leader said he had heard several years ago.
According to the joke, Ronaldo is given one wish by the Madonna and he asks her to build a highway from Milan to Brazil.
The Madonna says that's too difficult and he should think of another wish, to which he replies he would like to play in a match against Juventus in which the referees were impartial.
"Ronaldo, how many lanes should your highway to Brazil have?" the Madonna replies.
Former Italy captain Paolo Maldini said on Wednesday he believed his countrymen will be unaffected by the scandal when they launch their World Cup bid against Ghana on June 12.
Reuters
BERLIN, June 7 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi made light on Wednesday of a soccer scandal gripping his nation, telling a German newspaper a joke about biased refereeing in matches involving champions Juventus.
Prodi was asked by German weekly Die Zeit whether the problems afflicting Italian soccer had come to light because of his recent election victory over former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, owner of top club AC Milan.
"Honestly: I don't know," Prodi told the paper, before telling a joke about Brazil's Ronaldo, formerly of Inter Milan, which the Italian leader said he had heard several years ago.
According to the joke, Ronaldo is given one wish by the Madonna and he asks her to build a highway from Milan to Brazil.
The Madonna says that's too difficult and he should think of another wish, to which he replies he would like to play in a match against Juventus in which the referees were impartial.
"Ronaldo, how many lanes should your highway to Brazil have?" the Madonna replies.
Former Italy captain Paolo Maldini said on Wednesday he believed his countrymen will be unaffected by the scandal when they launch their World Cup bid against Ghana on June 12.
Reuters
Corruption scandal weighs heavily
DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) - The Italian team arrived in Germany on Wednesday hoping to overcome the distraction of the biggest corruption scandal in Italian soccer history.
"They're going to have to be attentive to their behaviour," Italian players' association president Sergio Campana said. "With all that's going on in our sport, this team is going to be kept under the microscope even more than usual."
The team departed Pisa at 5:20 p.m. local time aboard a plane supplied by one of the squad's sponsors -- Eurofly. The plane arrived in Duesseldorf about 90 minutes later and then drove to its training base in nearby Duisburg.
Several members of the team, including coach Marcello Lippi, have been directly or indirectly implicated in the scandal.
Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro was called in Saturday by prosecutors to explain his transfer two years ago from Inter Milan to Juventus. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon faces accusations of illegal betting.
The scandal centres on Juventus, which has five players on Italy's team, with accusations of match-fixing and referee arrangements. AC Milan, which also has five players on the team, is under investigation, too.
Multiple investigations are underway and penalties could be handed out during the World Cup.
"Starting (Wednesday) we have to speak German and set aside the difficulties," defender Marco Materazzi said. "The World Cup is a huge opportunity for everyone. Over the past two years we've demonstrated that we're a great team, and now we have even more reason to show it."
Associated Press
DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) - The Italian team arrived in Germany on Wednesday hoping to overcome the distraction of the biggest corruption scandal in Italian soccer history.
"They're going to have to be attentive to their behaviour," Italian players' association president Sergio Campana said. "With all that's going on in our sport, this team is going to be kept under the microscope even more than usual."
The team departed Pisa at 5:20 p.m. local time aboard a plane supplied by one of the squad's sponsors -- Eurofly. The plane arrived in Duesseldorf about 90 minutes later and then drove to its training base in nearby Duisburg.
Several members of the team, including coach Marcello Lippi, have been directly or indirectly implicated in the scandal.
Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro was called in Saturday by prosecutors to explain his transfer two years ago from Inter Milan to Juventus. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon faces accusations of illegal betting.
The scandal centres on Juventus, which has five players on Italy's team, with accusations of match-fixing and referee arrangements. AC Milan, which also has five players on the team, is under investigation, too.
Multiple investigations are underway and penalties could be handed out during the World Cup.
"Starting (Wednesday) we have to speak German and set aside the difficulties," defender Marco Materazzi said. "The World Cup is a huge opportunity for everyone. Over the past two years we've demonstrated that we're a great team, and now we have even more reason to show it."
Associated Press
De Santis Questioned in Italian Scandal
ROME (AP) - Italian referee Massimo De Santis, who was pulled from the World Cup amid Italy's wide-ranging soccer scandal, met Wednesday with the soccer federation's chief investigator.
De Santis was questioned in Rome by top investigator Francesco Saverio Borrelli, a former Milan prosecutor appointed last month to look into the allegations. De Santis did not talk to reporters ahead of the meeting.
"He will speak about everything and will explain to Borrelli that he doesn't feel responsible," De Santis' lawyer, Costantino Cambi, told La Repubblica. "He's coming from a difficult position. We'll try to control the damage."
De Santis is accused by prosecutors in Naples of being a key player within the system of power of corruption allegedly controlled by Luciano Moggi, a former Juventus general manager and the man at the centre of the scandal. He denies wrongdoing.
De Santis met Monday with Naples prosecutors who are conducting the probe.
Until now one of Italy's most highly respected referees, De Santis had been scheduled to go to Germany for the World Cup. But his accreditation was revoked after he was implicated in the scandal.
The ANSA news agency said other referees were expected to be questioned later in the day by Borrelli.
Associated Press
ROME (AP) - Italian referee Massimo De Santis, who was pulled from the World Cup amid Italy's wide-ranging soccer scandal, met Wednesday with the soccer federation's chief investigator.
De Santis was questioned in Rome by top investigator Francesco Saverio Borrelli, a former Milan prosecutor appointed last month to look into the allegations. De Santis did not talk to reporters ahead of the meeting.
"He will speak about everything and will explain to Borrelli that he doesn't feel responsible," De Santis' lawyer, Costantino Cambi, told La Repubblica. "He's coming from a difficult position. We'll try to control the damage."
De Santis is accused by prosecutors in Naples of being a key player within the system of power of corruption allegedly controlled by Luciano Moggi, a former Juventus general manager and the man at the centre of the scandal. He denies wrongdoing.
De Santis met Monday with Naples prosecutors who are conducting the probe.
Until now one of Italy's most highly respected referees, De Santis had been scheduled to go to Germany for the World Cup. But his accreditation was revoked after he was implicated in the scandal.
The ANSA news agency said other referees were expected to be questioned later in the day by Borrelli.
Associated Press
De Santis: I have nothing to hide
Referee Massimo De Santis, who was excluded from the World Cup after the Calciopoli scandal, told investigators today he did not fix games.
“Nobody has made a full confession,” insisted investigator Francesco Saverio Borrelli this afternoon. Among those interrogated today were referees De Santis, Bertini, Salvatore Racalbuto and Gianluca Paparesta.
De Santis was originally named by prosecutors as one of the major players in the alleged match-fixing system along with former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi. He was interrogated for five hours today and insisted he had nothing to hide.
“I was massacred in the Press and saw my image destroyed. Above all, as a referee I lost everything I had,” newspaper ‘La Repubblica’ quoted him as saying.
“I had earned my place in the World Cup and in my view should’ve been allowed to enter the tournament. I have nothing to hide and am therefore happy to collaborate.”
De Santis was one of two Italian referees assigned to Germany 2006, but his accreditation was revoked following the explosion of the Calciopoli scandal on the request of the FIGC.
“We found a relaxed atmosphere here and it was a constructive meeting,” his lawyer commented after today’s interrogation.
“De Santis explained everything and confirmed he does not feel responsible for any of the accusations.”
Channel 4
Referee Massimo De Santis, who was excluded from the World Cup after the Calciopoli scandal, told investigators today he did not fix games.
“Nobody has made a full confession,” insisted investigator Francesco Saverio Borrelli this afternoon. Among those interrogated today were referees De Santis, Bertini, Salvatore Racalbuto and Gianluca Paparesta.
De Santis was originally named by prosecutors as one of the major players in the alleged match-fixing system along with former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi. He was interrogated for five hours today and insisted he had nothing to hide.
“I was massacred in the Press and saw my image destroyed. Above all, as a referee I lost everything I had,” newspaper ‘La Repubblica’ quoted him as saying.
“I had earned my place in the World Cup and in my view should’ve been allowed to enter the tournament. I have nothing to hide and am therefore happy to collaborate.”
De Santis was one of two Italian referees assigned to Germany 2006, but his accreditation was revoked following the explosion of the Calciopoli scandal on the request of the FIGC.
“We found a relaxed atmosphere here and it was a constructive meeting,” his lawyer commented after today’s interrogation.
“De Santis explained everything and confirmed he does not feel responsible for any of the accusations.”
Channel 4
Scandal won't affect Italy, says Maldini
ROME, June 7 (Reuters) - Former Italy captain Paolo Maldini believes his countrymen will be unaffected by the soccer scandal at home when they launch their World Cup bid against Ghana on June 12.
"I think the squad can stay out of it. The matches will be an important moment to refocus attention on the sport," the 37-year-old AC Milan defender was quoted as saying in daily La Repubblica on Wednesday.
Among the players drawn into the investigations was national team captain Fabio Cannavaro, who last week was questioned by magistrates in Rome as part as of a probe into soccer management company GEA World, which is run by Moggi's son Alessandro.
"A captain has to take on a lot of things, but Fabio has big shoulders. He is already at his third World Cup. What can I teach him?" said Maldini, who made a record 126 appearances for the Azzurri, 74 of them as captain and played at World Cups in 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002.
"We cannot pretend that nothing has happened. We must not be afraid to discover everything there is to discover.
"To get everything cleared up is necessary, because kids must be certain that football is a serious thing."
Despite uninspired draws against Switzerland and the Ukraine last week, Maldini believes that Italy are ready to make up for early exits in the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.
"The negative experiences (in 2002 and 2004) have helped us to get going again," he said.
"In my opinion, we are inferior only to Brazil, and we have a solid group, which counts for a lot."
Reuters
ROME, June 7 (Reuters) - Former Italy captain Paolo Maldini believes his countrymen will be unaffected by the soccer scandal at home when they launch their World Cup bid against Ghana on June 12.
"I think the squad can stay out of it. The matches will be an important moment to refocus attention on the sport," the 37-year-old AC Milan defender was quoted as saying in daily La Repubblica on Wednesday.
Among the players drawn into the investigations was national team captain Fabio Cannavaro, who last week was questioned by magistrates in Rome as part as of a probe into soccer management company GEA World, which is run by Moggi's son Alessandro.
"A captain has to take on a lot of things, but Fabio has big shoulders. He is already at his third World Cup. What can I teach him?" said Maldini, who made a record 126 appearances for the Azzurri, 74 of them as captain and played at World Cups in 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002.
"We cannot pretend that nothing has happened. We must not be afraid to discover everything there is to discover.
"To get everything cleared up is necessary, because kids must be certain that football is a serious thing."
Despite uninspired draws against Switzerland and the Ukraine last week, Maldini believes that Italy are ready to make up for early exits in the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.
"The negative experiences (in 2002 and 2004) have helped us to get going again," he said.
"In my opinion, we are inferior only to Brazil, and we have a solid group, which counts for a lot."
Reuters
Naples prosecutors wrap up investigation
ROME (AP) - Prosecutors in Naples have wrapped up their investigation into Italy's soccer scandal and now must decide whether to seek indictments for team officials and referees allegedly involved in match-fixing, lawyers said Tuesday.
Prosecutors were notifying 37 people that they have concluded their investigation into sports fraud, said Fulvio Gianaria, lawyer for Luciano Moggi, the former Juventus general manager who is at the centre of the scandal.
Prosecutors allege that Moggi created a system of corruption to try to influence referee appointments. He and others under investigation have denied wrongdoing.
After all suspects are notified, the defence will have 20 days to present any additional documents, said Gianaria.
The lawyer said he expected indictment requests to come. A judge, after hearings, would decide in the fall if the case should come to trial, he said.
The Naples probe is seen as the key element in the scandal, but prosecutors in Rome, Parma and Turin are also investigating allegations, spanning from illegal betting to false bookkeeping.
Besides Juventus, the investigation has implicated Fiorentina, Lazio and AC Milan as well as players and refereeing officials.
Italian media reported Tuesday that Riccardo Garrone, the president of Sampdoria, had also been dragged into the case by Naples prosecutors. Team officials said they had not received any official notice that Garrone was being investigated.
Meanwhile, Juventus is about to replace its board, which resigned in May because of the scandal. The Turin-based club is part of the Agnelli family empire, which includes auto maker Fiat.
The family's investment company, IFIL, which controls 60 per cent of Juventus stock, said it would announce its candidates for the new board on Wednesday. The new members will then have to be confirmed at a June 29 shareholders meeting.
Associated Press
ROME (AP) - Prosecutors in Naples have wrapped up their investigation into Italy's soccer scandal and now must decide whether to seek indictments for team officials and referees allegedly involved in match-fixing, lawyers said Tuesday.
Prosecutors were notifying 37 people that they have concluded their investigation into sports fraud, said Fulvio Gianaria, lawyer for Luciano Moggi, the former Juventus general manager who is at the centre of the scandal.
Prosecutors allege that Moggi created a system of corruption to try to influence referee appointments. He and others under investigation have denied wrongdoing.
After all suspects are notified, the defence will have 20 days to present any additional documents, said Gianaria.
The lawyer said he expected indictment requests to come. A judge, after hearings, would decide in the fall if the case should come to trial, he said.
The Naples probe is seen as the key element in the scandal, but prosecutors in Rome, Parma and Turin are also investigating allegations, spanning from illegal betting to false bookkeeping.
Besides Juventus, the investigation has implicated Fiorentina, Lazio and AC Milan as well as players and refereeing officials.
Italian media reported Tuesday that Riccardo Garrone, the president of Sampdoria, had also been dragged into the case by Naples prosecutors. Team officials said they had not received any official notice that Garrone was being investigated.
Meanwhile, Juventus is about to replace its board, which resigned in May because of the scandal. The Turin-based club is part of the Agnelli family empire, which includes auto maker Fiat.
The family's investment company, IFIL, which controls 60 per cent of Juventus stock, said it would announce its candidates for the new board on Wednesday. The new members will then have to be confirmed at a June 29 shareholders meeting.
Associated Press
Fifth club in Italy scandal
ITALY prosecutors, investigating football corruption, have turned their attentions to a fifth Serie A club, according to media reports overnight.
Sampdoria is under suspicion over its 3-0 win over Fiorentina in February last year, which involved a referee allegedly picked to favour the Genoa club, press reports said.
Sampdoria president Ricardo Garrone said the club has nothing to hide.
"I'm stunned but relaxed," he said in a statement.
"I have received no notification about any prosecution. I know nothing about the matters but when I find out about the motivations (of the prosecutors) I will know how to defend myself," he said.
http://www.ntnews.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,19467287%5E23215,00.html
ITALY prosecutors, investigating football corruption, have turned their attentions to a fifth Serie A club, according to media reports overnight.
Sampdoria is under suspicion over its 3-0 win over Fiorentina in February last year, which involved a referee allegedly picked to favour the Genoa club, press reports said.
Sampdoria president Ricardo Garrone said the club has nothing to hide.
"I'm stunned but relaxed," he said in a statement.
"I have received no notification about any prosecution. I know nothing about the matters but when I find out about the motivations (of the prosecutors) I will know how to defend myself," he said.
http://www.ntnews.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,19467287%5E23215,00.html
Scandal appears no bar for Juventus's partners
MILAN (Reuters) - Juventus's major partners seem happy to support the nation's premier club even if it suffered the humiliation of relegation from Serie A as a result of a match-fixing scandal.
Juventus and its former general manager, Luciano Moggi, are at the centre of the allegations and Italy's soccer authorities need to decide any sanctions by July 27 to meet European soccer body UEFA's deadline.
Relegation could hit Juventus' revenues hard if lucrative TV deals were lost and sponsorship withdrawn, analysts said.
"The main revenue driver for Juventus is television rights. If they lost those it would be a massive hit," said Harry Philp, managing director of Hermes Sports Partners, a corporate advisory firm for the sports industry.
If Juventus was relegated, "people will still watch on television but you're not going to get the same viewing levels as you would for Juventus against Lazio", he added.
Giorgio Brenna, chairman and chief executive for Italy of advertising firm Leo Burnett, agreed.
"The economic impact if they play in Serie B could be huge," Brenna said. "If you took away the television rights, the lack of income from playing in European leagues and sponsorship, it's over 100 million euros (68. 3 million pounds) a year."
Juventus made 49 percent of its revenues of 134.2 million euros from television rights in the first half of the 2005/06 year, with sponsorship accounting for about 20 percent.
Its shares have virtually halved in price since allegations first emerged at the start of May and were trading at 1.113 euros on Tuesday, valuing the club at some 136 million euros.
"Obviously there is quite a bit of bad news already in the shares," said one Milan-based trader who asked not to be named.
But there are signs that Juventus, Italian champions 29 times, could find life in Serie B not as difficult as investors may have feared.
'THE REAL FAN'
Mediaset has a broadcasting deal worth over 218 million euros with Juventus for two seasons from 2007/08 and has said the club's huge fan base meant it would remain a big player whatever division it played in.
"Juventus has 10 million fans and the real fan follows the team even if it goes in Serie B," Mediaset chairman Fedele Confalonieri said last month. Even if relegated, the club would be "an important product", he said.
Sky, which has satellite rights with Juventus worth at least 94.5 million euros for next season, said it was waiting to see how things developed before taking a decision.
Sponsors have indicated there might not be a drastic drop in revenue for a Serie B Juventus.
"We believe we will continue to work with Juventus," said Massimo Giunco, spokesman for Nike Europe, which has a 12-year, 187-million-euro deal with the Turin-based team for products carrying its trademark tic which started in 2003.
Germany's Siemens, which is in talks over a contract to provide security and telecommunications at the Delle Alpi stadium which Juventus plans to renovate, said it was discussing sponsorship with the club.
Juventus' sole official sponsor, Libyan state oil firm Tamoil, declined to comment on what would happen if the club were relegated.
Sponsors get huge publicity through Juventus, which has a third of the Italian market in its 14 million domestic fans, and 174 million potential supporters worldwide.
Those numbers are unlikely to change dramatically if the team spends a season in the second league, analysts said.
Juventus could derive unexpected financial benefit away from the floodlights of Serie A if some of its more expensive players jumped ship and took their huge wages with them.
Fabio Cannavaro, who captains the Italian national team, said last month he would not leave if relegation occurred.
But it was not clear whether players such as Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and coach Fabio Capello -- already in the sights of Real Madrid -- would stay.
Reuters
MILAN (Reuters) - Juventus's major partners seem happy to support the nation's premier club even if it suffered the humiliation of relegation from Serie A as a result of a match-fixing scandal.
Juventus and its former general manager, Luciano Moggi, are at the centre of the allegations and Italy's soccer authorities need to decide any sanctions by July 27 to meet European soccer body UEFA's deadline.
Relegation could hit Juventus' revenues hard if lucrative TV deals were lost and sponsorship withdrawn, analysts said.
"The main revenue driver for Juventus is television rights. If they lost those it would be a massive hit," said Harry Philp, managing director of Hermes Sports Partners, a corporate advisory firm for the sports industry.
If Juventus was relegated, "people will still watch on television but you're not going to get the same viewing levels as you would for Juventus against Lazio", he added.
Giorgio Brenna, chairman and chief executive for Italy of advertising firm Leo Burnett, agreed.
"The economic impact if they play in Serie B could be huge," Brenna said. "If you took away the television rights, the lack of income from playing in European leagues and sponsorship, it's over 100 million euros (68. 3 million pounds) a year."
Juventus made 49 percent of its revenues of 134.2 million euros from television rights in the first half of the 2005/06 year, with sponsorship accounting for about 20 percent.
Its shares have virtually halved in price since allegations first emerged at the start of May and were trading at 1.113 euros on Tuesday, valuing the club at some 136 million euros.
"Obviously there is quite a bit of bad news already in the shares," said one Milan-based trader who asked not to be named.
But there are signs that Juventus, Italian champions 29 times, could find life in Serie B not as difficult as investors may have feared.
'THE REAL FAN'
Mediaset has a broadcasting deal worth over 218 million euros with Juventus for two seasons from 2007/08 and has said the club's huge fan base meant it would remain a big player whatever division it played in.
"Juventus has 10 million fans and the real fan follows the team even if it goes in Serie B," Mediaset chairman Fedele Confalonieri said last month. Even if relegated, the club would be "an important product", he said.
Sky, which has satellite rights with Juventus worth at least 94.5 million euros for next season, said it was waiting to see how things developed before taking a decision.
Sponsors have indicated there might not be a drastic drop in revenue for a Serie B Juventus.
"We believe we will continue to work with Juventus," said Massimo Giunco, spokesman for Nike Europe, which has a 12-year, 187-million-euro deal with the Turin-based team for products carrying its trademark tic which started in 2003.
Germany's Siemens, which is in talks over a contract to provide security and telecommunications at the Delle Alpi stadium which Juventus plans to renovate, said it was discussing sponsorship with the club.
Juventus' sole official sponsor, Libyan state oil firm Tamoil, declined to comment on what would happen if the club were relegated.
Sponsors get huge publicity through Juventus, which has a third of the Italian market in its 14 million domestic fans, and 174 million potential supporters worldwide.
Those numbers are unlikely to change dramatically if the team spends a season in the second league, analysts said.
Juventus could derive unexpected financial benefit away from the floodlights of Serie A if some of its more expensive players jumped ship and took their huge wages with them.
Fabio Cannavaro, who captains the Italian national team, said last month he would not leave if relegation occurred.
But it was not clear whether players such as Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and coach Fabio Capello -- already in the sights of Real Madrid -- would stay.
Reuters
Italy scandal ruling due by World Cup final date
ROME, June 15 (Reuters) - A tribunal set up to judge Italy's match-fixing scandal will decide the fate of Juventus, AC Milan and other Serie A clubs before the World Cup final on July 9, Italian soccer commissioner Guido Rossi said on Thursday.
Italian champions Juve , which has five players in the national squad playing in Germany, could be thrown out of the top league if the sports tribunal rules its top officials influenced the appointment of referees in key matches.
AC Milan, which also has five squad members, risks the same penalty over allegations concerning the selection of linesmen.
Rossi, a lawyer who was appointed commissioner after the board the Italian Football Federation resigned over the scandal, said the tribunal would make its ruling between July 7 and July 9.
Any team or individual found guilty will have one chance of appeal at hearings that would conclude no later than July 20, Rossi said, giving the football federation time to tell UEFA the list of teams to play in its European tournaments next season.
"There will be no delay to the start of the (Italian) championship," Rossi told a news conference. The 2006/7 soccer season starts on August 28.
Rossi also announced on Thursday he had replaced the head of the tribunal which will hear the case after its former president was named in a list of people investigated by Naples prosecutors who are also investigating the affair.
Besides Juve and AC Milan, other other top teams with players at the World Cup are implicated, such as Lazio and Fiorentina.
The enthusiasm of the usually soccer-mad Italians has been dampened by the scandal. Spirits were lifted, however, by the team's 2-0 opening win against Ghana, meaning they will pass through to the second round if they beat the United States on Saturday.
A member of parliament from Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party, Maurizio Paniz, has suggested there should be an amnesty for all concerned if Italy brings home the trophy which it last won in 1982, a suggestion rejected by Rossi and Italy's sports minister Giovanna Melandri.
"That sounds like twaddle," Melandri said. "The problem must be confronted, whatever the result of Azzurris' World Cup."
Rossi's chief investigator, Francesco Borrelli, said he will wrap up his report after an interview on Friday with Riccardo Garrone, the chairman of Sampdoria, another club implicated in the scandal.
Borrelli will hand his findings to the federation's prosecutor who will decide by next Wednesday which people or teams to send to the tribunal.
Reuters
ROME, June 15 (Reuters) - A tribunal set up to judge Italy's match-fixing scandal will decide the fate of Juventus, AC Milan and other Serie A clubs before the World Cup final on July 9, Italian soccer commissioner Guido Rossi said on Thursday.
Italian champions Juve , which has five players in the national squad playing in Germany, could be thrown out of the top league if the sports tribunal rules its top officials influenced the appointment of referees in key matches.
AC Milan, which also has five squad members, risks the same penalty over allegations concerning the selection of linesmen.
Rossi, a lawyer who was appointed commissioner after the board the Italian Football Federation resigned over the scandal, said the tribunal would make its ruling between July 7 and July 9.
Any team or individual found guilty will have one chance of appeal at hearings that would conclude no later than July 20, Rossi said, giving the football federation time to tell UEFA the list of teams to play in its European tournaments next season.
"There will be no delay to the start of the (Italian) championship," Rossi told a news conference. The 2006/7 soccer season starts on August 28.
Rossi also announced on Thursday he had replaced the head of the tribunal which will hear the case after its former president was named in a list of people investigated by Naples prosecutors who are also investigating the affair.
Besides Juve and AC Milan, other other top teams with players at the World Cup are implicated, such as Lazio and Fiorentina.
The enthusiasm of the usually soccer-mad Italians has been dampened by the scandal. Spirits were lifted, however, by the team's 2-0 opening win against Ghana, meaning they will pass through to the second round if they beat the United States on Saturday.
A member of parliament from Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party, Maurizio Paniz, has suggested there should be an amnesty for all concerned if Italy brings home the trophy which it last won in 1982, a suggestion rejected by Rossi and Italy's sports minister Giovanna Melandri.
"That sounds like twaddle," Melandri said. "The problem must be confronted, whatever the result of Azzurris' World Cup."
Rossi's chief investigator, Francesco Borrelli, said he will wrap up his report after an interview on Friday with Riccardo Garrone, the chairman of Sampdoria, another club implicated in the scandal.
Borrelli will hand his findings to the federation's prosecutor who will decide by next Wednesday which people or teams to send to the tribunal.
Reuters
what happens next?
JUNE 18-19
Italian Football Federation (FIGC) chief investigator Francesco Borrelli completes his report and hands his findings to FIGC prosecutor Stefano Palazzi.
JUNE 20-21
Palazzi announces which clubs and/or individuals are to face charges at a sports tribunal.
JUNE 26-27
Likely start of FIGC tribunal.
JULY 7-9
Likely end of tribunal with punishments handed down by the tribunal. July 9 is also the date of the World Cup final in Berlin.
JULY 20
Deadline set by FIGC for end of any appeals hearings, meaning sanctions will be definitive by this date.
END OF JULY
FIGC must send UEFA the list of teams to play in the Champions League and UEFA Cup next season.
AUGUST 28
Italy's 2006/7 soccer season starts.
Reuters
JUNE 18-19
Italian Football Federation (FIGC) chief investigator Francesco Borrelli completes his report and hands his findings to FIGC prosecutor Stefano Palazzi.
JUNE 20-21
Palazzi announces which clubs and/or individuals are to face charges at a sports tribunal.
JUNE 26-27
Likely start of FIGC tribunal.
JULY 7-9
Likely end of tribunal with punishments handed down by the tribunal. July 9 is also the date of the World Cup final in Berlin.
JULY 20
Deadline set by FIGC for end of any appeals hearings, meaning sanctions will be definitive by this date.
END OF JULY
FIGC must send UEFA the list of teams to play in the Champions League and UEFA Cup next season.
AUGUST 28
Italy's 2006/7 soccer season starts.
Reuters
Prosecutor handed probe findings
Monday 19 June, 2006
Calciopoli investigator Francesco Saverio Borrelli will hand his findings to the Italian Football Federation’s prosecutor on Monday after completing his probe.
Borrelli was given the unenviable task of trying to get to the bottom of the alleged match-fixing claims and has spent the last six weeks interviewing referees, as well as officials from clubs and also the FIGC.
A total of 72 people were questioned even if Luciano Moggi, the former Juventus director general at the centre of the scandal, refused to be interrogated seeing as he has now resigned from the Turin giants.
Borrelli, the magistrate who famously battled corruption in Italian politics during the 1990s, will hand over thousands of documents to prosecutor Stefano Palazzi.
The latter is now expected to come to a conclusion and decide on any possible charges by the end of this week.
If all goes to plan, a sporting trial could begin as soon as next week with a ruling being handed out by July 9.
The controversy erupted in May after numerous telephone conversation transcripts were published in Italian newspapers which seriously questioned the credibility of the game.
Juventus, Fiorentina, Milan, Lazio and Sampdoria are clubs who have come under the spotlight, even if the first two outfits seem to be at the greatest risk of severe punishments.
Should any outfit be found to have attempted to commit sporting fraud then they could be docked points or even demoted to a lower Division. Individuals face the threat of lengthy bans.
Monday 19 June, 2006
Calciopoli investigator Francesco Saverio Borrelli will hand his findings to the Italian Football Federation’s prosecutor on Monday after completing his probe.
Borrelli was given the unenviable task of trying to get to the bottom of the alleged match-fixing claims and has spent the last six weeks interviewing referees, as well as officials from clubs and also the FIGC.
A total of 72 people were questioned even if Luciano Moggi, the former Juventus director general at the centre of the scandal, refused to be interrogated seeing as he has now resigned from the Turin giants.
Borrelli, the magistrate who famously battled corruption in Italian politics during the 1990s, will hand over thousands of documents to prosecutor Stefano Palazzi.
The latter is now expected to come to a conclusion and decide on any possible charges by the end of this week.
If all goes to plan, a sporting trial could begin as soon as next week with a ruling being handed out by July 9.
The controversy erupted in May after numerous telephone conversation transcripts were published in Italian newspapers which seriously questioned the credibility of the game.
Juventus, Fiorentina, Milan, Lazio and Sampdoria are clubs who have come under the spotlight, even if the first two outfits seem to be at the greatest risk of severe punishments.
Should any outfit be found to have attempted to commit sporting fraud then they could be docked points or even demoted to a lower Division. Individuals face the threat of lengthy bans.
ROME, June 20 (Reuters) - Former France captain Didier Deschamps said he has been asked to coach Juventus if the Serie A team are relegated in the match-fixing scandal that is shaking Italian football.
Deschamps, who played for Juventus for five seasons in the late 1990s, told La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper that the club had contacted him to replace coach Fabio Capello if they were demoted to Serie B in a trial due to start next week.
"Juve had already lined me up," said Deschamps, who confirmed last week on French television that he had flown to Turin to talk to club officials.
Deschamps, currently without a club, led Monaco to the Champions League final in 2004 and captained France to World Cup glory in 1998. No one in Italy expects Capello to stay if Juventus are sent down.
"I'm happy to lead the team in any division," Deschamps said in comments printed on Tuesday.
Juventus are at the heart of investigations by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and four public prosecutors into match-fixing, criminal association and false accounting.
On Monday the magistrate leading the FIGC's investigation, Francesco Borrelli, handed over a 190-page report to federation prosecutor Stefano Palazzi, who is expected by Friday to order teams and officials to stand trial for sporting fraud.
Newspapers said Borrelli's most trenchant criticism was aimed at Juventus and that former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's AC Milan also came under fire.
"Juventus are undoubtedly in the most dangerous position and risk demotion to Serie B," La Gazzetta dello Sport said.
Juventus were the first big Italian team to get sucked into the affair after the publication of intercepted telephone conversations between their former general manager Luciano Moggi and senior FIGC officials discussing refereeing appointments for games during the 2004-05 season.
'MILAN ALSO AT RISK'
Although Juventus have not admitted to any wrongdoing, Fiat's heir John Elkann, whose family controls the club, said last week that the Italian champions had behaved reprehensibly.
Phone taps showed Leonardo Meani, a member of AC Milan's management, spoke to the official assigning linesmen in April 2005, complaining about a linesman after Milan lost to Siena. Meani and Milan have denied any wrongdoing.
"Milan are also at risk for their attempt to create an alternative system to Moggi's," La Gazzetta said.
The nation's leading newspaper, Corriere della Sera, said of Borrelli's report: "The only real surprise is that Milan comes out looking bad, worse than Fiorentina and Lazio."
Borrelli, who led the "Clean Hands" investigation into political corruption in the early 1990s, had compiled evidence against all four teams, newspapers said.
"If it was up to him, Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina would be done for -- some in Serie C1 (Italy's third division), some in Serie B," Corriere dello Sport said.
The FIGC trial, held in Rome in front of a magistrate, is expected to start on June 27 or 28, with a ruling coming between July 7 and 9 -- the latter date being the day of the World Cup final.
Milan vice president Adriano Galliani, who is also president of the Italian Football League, and former FIGC president Franco Carraro are among the leading figures expected to stand trial.
It remained to be seen whether Moggi will turn up, having refused to speak to Borrelli's team during its investigation.
Corriere della Sera cited the case of former Sampdoria official Emiliano Salvarezza, whose refusal to appear in front of a sports justice trial in a case involving false passports in 2001 was upheld by a civil court.
Deschamps, who played for Juventus for five seasons in the late 1990s, told La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper that the club had contacted him to replace coach Fabio Capello if they were demoted to Serie B in a trial due to start next week.
"Juve had already lined me up," said Deschamps, who confirmed last week on French television that he had flown to Turin to talk to club officials.
Deschamps, currently without a club, led Monaco to the Champions League final in 2004 and captained France to World Cup glory in 1998. No one in Italy expects Capello to stay if Juventus are sent down.
"I'm happy to lead the team in any division," Deschamps said in comments printed on Tuesday.
Juventus are at the heart of investigations by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and four public prosecutors into match-fixing, criminal association and false accounting.
On Monday the magistrate leading the FIGC's investigation, Francesco Borrelli, handed over a 190-page report to federation prosecutor Stefano Palazzi, who is expected by Friday to order teams and officials to stand trial for sporting fraud.
Newspapers said Borrelli's most trenchant criticism was aimed at Juventus and that former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's AC Milan also came under fire.
"Juventus are undoubtedly in the most dangerous position and risk demotion to Serie B," La Gazzetta dello Sport said.
Juventus were the first big Italian team to get sucked into the affair after the publication of intercepted telephone conversations between their former general manager Luciano Moggi and senior FIGC officials discussing refereeing appointments for games during the 2004-05 season.
'MILAN ALSO AT RISK'
Although Juventus have not admitted to any wrongdoing, Fiat's heir John Elkann, whose family controls the club, said last week that the Italian champions had behaved reprehensibly.
Phone taps showed Leonardo Meani, a member of AC Milan's management, spoke to the official assigning linesmen in April 2005, complaining about a linesman after Milan lost to Siena. Meani and Milan have denied any wrongdoing.
"Milan are also at risk for their attempt to create an alternative system to Moggi's," La Gazzetta said.
The nation's leading newspaper, Corriere della Sera, said of Borrelli's report: "The only real surprise is that Milan comes out looking bad, worse than Fiorentina and Lazio."
Borrelli, who led the "Clean Hands" investigation into political corruption in the early 1990s, had compiled evidence against all four teams, newspapers said.
"If it was up to him, Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina would be done for -- some in Serie C1 (Italy's third division), some in Serie B," Corriere dello Sport said.
The FIGC trial, held in Rome in front of a magistrate, is expected to start on June 27 or 28, with a ruling coming between July 7 and 9 -- the latter date being the day of the World Cup final.
Milan vice president Adriano Galliani, who is also president of the Italian Football League, and former FIGC president Franco Carraro are among the leading figures expected to stand trial.
It remained to be seen whether Moggi will turn up, having refused to speak to Borrelli's team during its investigation.
Corriere della Sera cited the case of former Sampdoria official Emiliano Salvarezza, whose refusal to appear in front of a sports justice trial in a case involving false passports in 2001 was upheld by a civil court.
Juve Risks Serie C
The situation of the Bianconeri is worse than expected.
Following the delivery of the Calciopoli report handed over by Borelli to the Federal Prosecutor, it emerges that four teams are risking much more than they were initially expecting.
The club which is risking most is surely Juventus, who might end up in Serie C rather than "just" Serie B.
Fiorentina and Lazio will most likely receive a heavy point deduction for the start of next season, whereas Milan's position is worse than first thought and their penalty might range from a heavy point deduction to a demotion to Serie B football.
According to Borelli, apart from the 'Juve system', there also was the 'Milan system' which Adriano Galliani has denied in recent weeks. In the report it emerges that even though the system created by Moggi and Giraudo was the most powerful, the one involving the Rossoneri was only a step behind the Bianconeri's, and for this reason Milan are risking a lot.
Only a few more weeks before the final verdict is out.
http://www.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoId=78017
The situation of the Bianconeri is worse than expected.
Following the delivery of the Calciopoli report handed over by Borelli to the Federal Prosecutor, it emerges that four teams are risking much more than they were initially expecting.
The club which is risking most is surely Juventus, who might end up in Serie C rather than "just" Serie B.
Fiorentina and Lazio will most likely receive a heavy point deduction for the start of next season, whereas Milan's position is worse than first thought and their penalty might range from a heavy point deduction to a demotion to Serie B football.
According to Borelli, apart from the 'Juve system', there also was the 'Milan system' which Adriano Galliani has denied in recent weeks. In the report it emerges that even though the system created by Moggi and Giraudo was the most powerful, the one involving the Rossoneri was only a step behind the Bianconeri's, and for this reason Milan are risking a lot.
Only a few more weeks before the final verdict is out.
http://www.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoId=78017