Not really. I mean its a different group of players who were caught this time and many of the circumstances are different. Also, many who were/are involved are all kind of young and naive and for the most part haven't really had much education and are being tempted by millions upon millions of dollars. I'm sure many players around the world that age who would do the same thing if given or presented with the opportunity. Another thing is, in other countries I'm not so sure phone taps and/or recorded conversations might not be legal or admissible as valid evidence in a court of law. I know many US judges probably wouldn't even allow such evidence into a trial. Therefore, I'm more than sure this happens in today's world quite a bit but Italy seems to always stand out while others don't get caught. This time for example, the betting scandal had originated in Hungary not Italy.
LOL.... I still would like to hear what took place or rather be on the other end of the SJQ -LAndy-Bayer-LAGals transaction conversation of 2005. No one ever seems to want to talk about that incident or for some reason its conveniently forgotten. Wonder why?
Back to Bradley... I think he made sure with his performance on Saturday that whoever the guy was who said "he can't pass it with the outside of his foot" will never live that comment down.
Regarding the two players who were just arrested: Mauri is 32 and Milanetto is 36. But it becomes even more tempting in a country where you know you're very unlikely to ever be seriously punished for it if you're caught: The academic, Simon Martin, teaches at the University of Rome, and has written extensively about Italy as seen through the country's passion for sport. And he argues that at least part of the reason why corruption endures in football here is that, in the past, punishments for match-fixing have been too light - and too readily reduced on appeal. "No-one pays for these crimes," he said. "And if crimes don't have to be paid for, then in some ways you can understand why a footballer might want to take that potentially life-changing opportunity because, at the worst, he's going to get a two-year ban, which he can appeal." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18239792 The criminal group behind these rigged games appears to be made up of Hungarians, but there's a good reason why they chose to pull it off in Italy.
Of course they won't be severely punished. I mean who really does time for these crimes? Did the NBA refs go to jail as a result of the point shaving scheme or for that matter did Paul Hornung , Alex Karras or Pete Rose see any jail time? As far as Mauri being 32 and/or Milanetto 36, it doesn't mean they ever grew up mentally or that they aren't immature. When I lived and worked in Italy, I saw the most immature men on the planet. I mean most men if they aren't married still live with their parents well into their 40's and even 50's so this tells you the maturity level of the society as a rule. Soccer players are even more so revered and spoiled as they have a lot of money, nothing to do all day long other than train, date show girls and are total prima donna's. Look at Cassano! The guy threatened to beat up a ref a few years ago when he was at Sampdoria. He is just one example but this is true of many players though. When I was with Fiorentina, 10 years ago, Angelo Di Livio was a WC player and was 36 at the time and was the most immature fellow I've ever met. As far as why they chose Italy to pull it off (from what I'm hearing on the RAI TV and and RADIORADIO KISS from Rome, it was mostly because Beppe Signori (the supposed ring leader) had ties as he retired there and also because the players are or were weak minded and they approached them.
Italian Premier is trying to be very bold http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer..._premier_suspend_soccer_in_country_2_3_years/ This thing is getting bigger and bigger. Maybe Italy is not the right p;ace for Michael Bradley right now.
Pete Rose broke MLB rules not laws. There is zero evidence he ever threw a game, and given his insane competitiveness I doubt he ever did. That's why he didn't go to jail. The NBA ref Tim Donaghy did serve 15 months on jail btw.
Yeah it really was special. I read about it in the Italian Sports daily il corriere dello spot and they boasted about it...I wish more Americans would follow Bradley into Italy but unfortunately, its not all that easy to break into the Serie A. The top teams are looking for top Brazlians and Argentines and then you have to beat out the Italian nationals as well as Euro citizens , then must obtain have work permits etc etc. As soon as your resume states you are an American, you are or will be overlooked but I think wins like this one against Scotland and the one over Italy in February will start turning heads...its just a matter of time....
What you are giving here are the kinds of excuses that are commonly heard in Italy. Especially the “This kind of thing happens everywhere…” one, which is something that Italians love to use, because by convincing themselves of this it allows them feel a bit better about the chronic corruption in their society. If you wanted to compare Italy to another country regarding this problem then I’m guessing you’d probably have to go to Southeast Asia to find something similar. When the 2006 “Calciopoli” scandal broke I saw a timeline published in Guerin Sportivo displaying all the similar scandals in their soccer history, and believe me, they are plentiful and go back to practically the origins of the sport in the country. This current one is just one of many. And as chalaron pointed out, the NBA ref did time, which is something you practically never see happen in Italy. And aside from not breaking any laws, Pete Rose received a lifetime ban from baseball. Compare that to Luciano Moggi, a Godfather type figure shown to be rigging practically the entire Serie A. What was his punishment? A measly 5-year ban. In fact, he’s eligible to be working in the sport again now. And sadly there are plenty of juventini who want him back at their club. So what I’m saying here is that you’re equating of Italy’s sports scandals with American ones really doesn’t work. Sadly, impunity is the name of the game in "il Bel Paese". And that’s not just regarding sports. Ever go to school here or teach in one? Cheating and plagiarism are rampant. On many occasions I’ve seen students caught red-handed cheating on final exams and receive nothing more than verbal scolding. And I’m talking about the university level! I could go on and on…
US v Scotland highlights from field level. Bradley's goal sequence starts ~ 0:50. 1:05 - the look on Boyd's face .....he's impressed
If you worked and lived there like I did, this is common practice. La dolce vita comes into play at some point but on the other hand, how can a government enforce these kinds of laws and really even care about prosecuting these calciopoli figures when there are worse problems in the society and when they are more crooked than the most common criminals themselves? People can't even arrive until the end of the month with their paychecks , there has been a different government on average in Italy since 1945 and you honestly think they are worried about prosecuting Luciano Moggi or sending him to jail? I mean no one cares about his crap and its a form of life. I'm not saying its just or right but this is the way it been since the days when Gigi Allemandi was banned for life and then reinstated (winning the WC in 1934 as a starting wing back) for supposedly throwing a Juventus-Torino derby match in 1927. If the government is directly tied to organized crime in Italy, or rather la camorra, la mafia and the ndrangheta do you possibly think anything will change? Trust me, it won't!
You may be right, but in my major league baseball coverage I often quote people (GMs, agents, scouts) anonymously, because that's the only way they will agree to speak candidly. Martin Rogers has pretty good street cred as a soccer journalist and to my trained eye it appears he's made some phone calls... but I get the cynicism. The World Soccer Reader and Bleacher Nation type reporting has made a lot of "scoops" look ridiculous. Of course, it's my belief, if the anonymous source had said something negative like "There's no interest in Michael Bradley, he's crap" I doubt people would question it. That's just the way it is. Of course, I'm biased.