The Italian football scandal. What does it mean for the beautiful game?

[Dark Savante]

Italian FA in administration

Paolo Menicucci in Milan
Wednesday May 17, 2006
The Guardian


The Italian Football Federation - the country's FA - was placed under emergency administration yesterday as a consequence of match-fixing and corruption allegations which have already seen the president Franco Carraro and his deputy Innocenzo Mazzini resign.
Guido Rossi, the 75-year-old former head of the national stock-market regulator Consob, will be in charge of the federation with a six-month renewable mandate and is expected to introduce new regulations.

Police authorities raided Carraro's offices and his home in Rome. They also seized documents at the headquarters of the Italian referees' association as part of the investigations that followed after the contents of tapped telephone conversations involving Juventus's general manager Luciano Moggi were revealed.


http://football.guardian.co.uk/continentalfootball/story/0,,1776474,00.html

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Still not sure to make of all this. Juventus aren't going to get relegated are they? They practically own Italian football. If Buffon is found guilty of what he is accused of what should be his standing in the history of the game? He's the best keeper of his generation and one who wouldn't look out of place for a team of the decade, but if he's guilty...do we still look on him kindly?

If Juve are relegated and there is this massive shake-up of the Italain game that the authorities are blathering on about to appease the media, will there be a mass exodus from the Italian game? If there is, it's pretty obvious both Spain and Italy will be huge beneficiaries.

So what do you make of all this? Is the Italian game tarnished? I immediately thought of the scudetto game between Inter and Juve...yea remember that one.. where Inter's stone wall penalty was turned down and Juve's awarded, but nothing has been mentioned about that. Just airs in a different light after the current revelations, for me at least.

How should Juve be viewed as a club if they've won titles via unscrupulous means? It's all very confusing. What are your thoughts?

[Dark Savante]

Juve aren't facing the music alone, however. Nine referees stand accused of being Moggi's foot soldiers. They include Massimo De Sanctis, who the Italian FA have now withdrawn from the World Cup. Forty-one people in total are being investigated, including senior officials at two other Serie A clubs, Lazio and Fiorentina, both of whose phone transcripts appear to show them "signing up" for the Moggi System. They and Juventus now stand a real chance of being relegated.

Sounds grim but at a guess, the worst is yet to come. Moggi, who broke press silence for the first time on Sunday to declare amid tears "They've murdered my soul!", will begin interrogation by police in Naples today. So far the spread of this scandal has been based on last year's phone transcripts, but what happens when Moggi decides to tell his version of the story? Stand by for Luciano to name as many names as possible because, with the evidence against him looking incontrovertible, he's expected to paint himself as just a small shark in a very dirty ocean.

Frankly there's no telling what accusations may emerge in the next few weeks. This weekend's final round of games therefore had a surreal air, as clubs competed for the two prizes left on offer - the title and the fourth Champions League place - reasonably secure in the knowledge that the standings will soon have to be rewritten anyway. For what it's worth, Fiorentina's 2-0 win at Chievo (featuring Luca Toni's 31st goal of the season) saw them tie up fourth place, which should see them enter the Champions League alongside Juve, Milan and Inter next season. Should. Roma, Lazio and Chievo should go into the Uefa Cup, and Messina, Lecce and Treviso should be relegated.

But who knows? Depending on the outcome of the investigations, Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina and possibly even Milan could be penalised or relegated. This means the current eighth-placed finishers Palermo, who are currently facing the Intertoto Cup this August, could be involved in the Champions League instead.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/continentalfootball/story/0,,1775905,00.html

[Bertje]

Call me an arse, but I think it's about time Juve starts to feel that they have gone too far. This isn't the first time and it won't be the last either if they don't do anything about it, again.

[comme]

I would be amazed if Juve get relegated for this. The power they wield in Italian football is immense.

It's much more likely that all this will just blow over when the World Cup starts.

[Excape Goat]

I also doubt Juventus will go down, but Moggi is gone. Juventus means money and the sport means money. No one wants to see Juventus in Serie B.

They will give him Moggi a big sentense while Juventus probably gets a heavy fine. They might ban them in Europe for one year. They might take a few points from the table next season, but they will at least finish in the UEFA qualiication bracket next year. Nike might remove their sponsorship due to corporate image. In the end, they only lose money.

[benni...]

I dont know if this said but, if players do leave the club, I think that you would see a lot of young players being given their chance, and he quality of the Italian pool expanding as a result of this.

Just suscribing to the thread.

[nicephoras]

I would be amazed if Juve get relegated for this. The power they wield in Italian football is immense.

It's much more likely that all this will just blow over when the World Cup starts.

I think exactly the same thing. These revelations are hardly surprising for anyone who follows SerieA.

[Cassano]

The media is making a big frenzy, but nothing is decided yet. Juve being relegated is a reality. Last summer Serie B champions Genoa were sent to Serie C1 for fixing one game. Moggi is being questioned for fixing a lot more.

[benni...]

Who would be promoted in their place? Id like to see a lot more of Napoli.

[Cassano]

Who would be promoted in their place? Id like to see a lot more of Napoli.

No one would be promoted. Messina, who were 3rd from bottom, would stay in Serie A.

[Toon³]

The media is making a big frenzy, but nothing is decided yet. Juve being relegated is a reality. Last summer Serie B champions Genoa were sent to Serie C1 for fixing one game. Moggi is being questioned for fixing a lot more.

That was Genoa though, Juve won't get relegated. I can see this going the way of the dopeing thing and one person taking all the blame at the club getting off with a tap on the wrist.

[nicephoras]

The media is making a big frenzy, but nothing is decided yet. Juve being relegated is a reality. Last summer Serie B champions Genoa were sent to Serie C1 for fixing one game. Moggi is being questioned for fixing a lot more.

C'mon Cassano. How much pull do Genoa have with SerieA?

[Bertje]

Ofcourse nothing will happen. Bastewards.

[kakaboypuf redded]

If the evil doers are punished, the game will become even more beautiful

[Cassano]

C'mon Cassano. How much pull do Genoa have with SerieA?

Sporting Fraud is Sporting Fraud. Should be the same punishment whether you're Juventus or Genoa.

[Bertje]

Sporting Fraud is Sporting Fraud. Should be the same punishment whether you're Juventus or Genoa.

Yeah, well unfortunately it doesn't work that way.

[DutchCane]

Nothing will happen, just the same crap over and over again. It's a shame that Italian football has become a joke.

[Cassano]

Nothing will happen, just the same crap over and over again. It's a shame that Italian football has become a joke.

That's why they need to give Juve a harsh punishment. To save face.

[dsk_oz]

And didn't AC Milan, who has a bit of pull get relegated over this in the 80's?

If everything that's claimed is true and Juventus don't get relegated then people will just lose faith with Italian football altogether ..

[Stud83]

Some upper management personnel would lose their jobs, some teams would face a fine, some refs would be suspended, and that's as far as this will get.