Calciogate; The Truth

[azzurri]

It's been nearly 12 months since the first headlines hit Italy's most prominent pink sports paper regarding Juventus, Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina, Inter (yes Inter) and the "cupola" that controlled Italian soccer's top flight. We all know what happened, though some are significantly more confused than others. We all know the result as well.

Few, however, know the why or the who behind them. It is with this in mind that I write. There is much that the public has been kept in the dark about and only through archives of articles nearly a year deep does the "cupola" finally reveal its ugly face. There are things we weren't supposed to find out, but passion and perseverance prevailed.

It is imperative that all be brought up to speed regarding this now shameful event. First we should identify key characters and clarify their roles in "Calciopoli". I don't intend to refresh anyone's memory as to who Moggi and Galliani are because these are now household names in any household that knows football.

Instead I'd rather identify the men behind the men – those shady denizens who wheel and deal backstage where the public aren’t welcome at all. The characters behind "Calciopoli" belong to three distinct groups, so let’s begin with a look into the extent of their mainly unseen influence.


The first group is Telecom Italia, Italy's prominent land phone line/Internet service provider which also owns TIM, its cellular counterpart advertised by Ronaldo Fenômeno. This company is chaired by a certain Mr. Tronchetti Provera.


Tronchetti is a lifelong Inter fan and a significant Inter shareholder. He and Telecom Italia are among Inter's most notable investors. As a matter of fact, Tronchetti's tyre company has had its name proudly displayed on Inter's jersey for decades (Pirelli).

The second group pertains to the media. Here far too many stakeholders and writers are involved therefore it is best to group them by media affiliation. Newspapers like Corriere dello Sport, Contro Campo, Messagero, and la Gazzetta dello Sport, helped spread the "news" to the public regarding all the "facts" and hearsay that plagued last summer's scandal.

La Gazzetta dello Sport in particular (which has been sardonically nicknamed "La Gazzetta dell'Inter" in Italy, although evidently not by many Nerazzurri fans) is actually very heavily subsidized by…the Moratti family.


This takes us to Group three - Inter. Internzionale FC and its delegates, owned and operated by the Moratti family, have a wide network of affiliates. Their links with the Tronchetti communications dynasty and their massive investments in both print and TV media (Telenova), allowed the Morattis to orchestrate what seems like a near-political coup over the course of two years.


How? Massimo Moratti convinced his long time investor to illegally record Telecom/TIM phone calls and hand them over to him. These recordings included people from rival delegates to referees, from Inter players to Inter delegates – over 100,000 recordings in all.


The Inter management intended to present these recordings to investigators and start a case against their rivals. These recordings were presented to magistrates in Turin, Rome, and Naples, to no avail.


All three magistrates responded to the recordings by indicating that no wrong doing was found and all accusations died on the vine. Moratti's contingency plan was much more sinister. The recordings were to be handed over (in pieces) to the elements of the press that Inter had an investment in.


The result was a media frenzy which forced the FIGC to launch an investigation and suspend many of its delegates (now mostly reinstated), prompting only those not suspended (due to the fact that they were not implicated) to assume complete control of the investigation.


This manoeuvre brought Guido Rossi into the picture. Being among the few not implicated on the recordings, Guido became the commissioner of the investigation who not only controlled the proceedings but hand picked the "jury". Guido selected his colleagues and managed to conclude a year long sport tribunal in a mere three weeks. Of course he neglected to mention while at the helm of the FIGC, that he too is a major investor in Inter FC and also a former Inter delegate who proudly sat at Massimo Moratti's side during games just seasons ago.


The "investigation" brought forth much material. We all remember the Maseratti that was to be given as a gift for favours from Juventus (no identification number, model number, recipient, or even colour of the car was ever made evident). We remember the non-stop phone calls where no result was ever decided.



We remember the Italian Revenue Agency (Guardia della Finanza) entering Juventus headquarters and the home of Fabio Cannavaro looking for proof of illegal fund transfers. They found nothing – of course.


Do we all remember the phone conversations found where the late Giacinto Facchetti (then Inter General Director) requested specific referees from both Pairetto and Bergamo (referee designators)? In case some forgot, in a Sky interview Bergamo openly admitted that no delegate called him more than Facchetti.


In fact, Facchetti even dined in Bergamo's home on a number of occasions. We also found out (by accident) that Inter falsified passports to maintain the illegal status of foreign players (never further investigated), we also found out that Inter participated in fraudulent accounting practices (also never further investigated). In the end these details were never selected by Rossi as he deemed them to be "immaterial".


Less than a month later Inter had a Scudetto. Somehow Inter had the title two days before the investigation was over. When it was over, everyone but Inter got penalized. The most severe was Juventus' punishment. In the end the only proven fixed match was a Parma match that helped Fiorentina survive Serie A.


Even the Viola however remained in Serie A. A few appeals took place which reduced the punishments but in the end Inter had a title and a half. Not only were they declared champions of Italy (having come in 3rd) but all potential threats were crippled first in the marketplace.


When Fiorentina lost out on the Champions League – and 22.5 million Euros – and Milan had to forego major trades and purchases in addition to their point deductions rendering them less competitive the game was changed. Inter experienced a near market monopoly stealing Vieira and Ibra for peanuts and were the last team standing who could purchase Fabio Grosso (the agreement came as the first headlines about the scandal hit the press).


Take "Calciopoli" away from the equation and Inter would have likely been where they always were, without Ibra, Vieira, and behind their rivals. Though they may have won, we'll never know.


After Guido Rossi's speedy demotion of Juventus and prompt coronation of his former employers, Tronchetti decided to thank him for their sudden increase in earnings per share by appointing Guido Vice President of Telecom Italia. FIGC finally came to their senses and recognized (only too late) that there may be a conflict of interest and formally asked Guido to step down as commissioner.


Since the verdicts (which saw Juve lose 250 million Euros in addition to their Serie B punishment) the new Juventus delegates attempted an appeal at the Lazio Regional Tribunal (TAR) but were blackmailed into dropping the appeal.


FIGC threatened to freeze all Italian competition (including Azzurri duties) should the appeal take place. The freeze would have kept the national side from qualifying for Euro 2008. As a result Juve dropped the appeal and all seemed lost.


One judge (who listened to one appeal after the Rossi verdict) by the name of Cesare Ruperto of the CAF declared that the 2004/2005 season was legit. Sig. Serio of the Court of Appeal also said that no match fixing outside of the Lecce-Parma match (in favour of Fiorentina) had occurred.


He then went on to claim that the sentencing was due solely to mass media frenzy and conflict of interests. Guido Rossi himself admitted no foul play after failing to prove that Juventus, Lazio and Milan had cheated but he insisted that the teams found themselves in favorable positions and so maintained the punishments.


The CAF under Ruperto managed to reduce the sentences (but couldn't reverse them) and added that the season was subject to no wrong doing. He insisted that no Moggi system existed and that it was the invention of a little pink newspaper (pg 74 of the CAF declaration). Ruperto went on to say that no game (aside from one assisting Fiorentina) was altered and that no system of bookings existed either, allegedly ensuring that key players were suspended prior to Juve matches (Pg 83). According to the 100-plus page declaration by the CAF, all these accusations were fabricated and exploited.


Recently "Calciopoli 2" has hit the tabloids in Italy but has generated little steam. Basically the investigators in Naples have come forward indicating that Juventus' management used to use Foreign Service providers (Swiss SIM Cards) to conduct all the illegal conversations.


Since the investigators couldn't possibly record Swiss calls, no incriminating conversations actually exist. The question on many minds now is, if all the "incriminating" calls took place on Swiss cards that could not be monitored then what was on the 100,000 Telecom/TIM calls that could possibly justify demotion to Serie B and the title going to another team?


We are also curious as to how Moratti, Tronchetti, and the media could possibly get away with violating a constitutional right to privacy by illegally recording calls and then have them published. These entities could potentially be facing charges of invasion of privacy, defamation of character, fraudulent accounting, insider trading, and identity falsification.


To add to the already overflowing pot of offences, referee De Sanctis has come forward revealing that the late Giacinto Facchetti would call him regularly prior to matches. Many of his requests apparently were not strictly illegal. Nevertheless, on more than a few occasions, according to De Sanctis' televised interview on Antenna 3, he had to refuse Giaccinto's requests because of their unsportsmanlike nature and manipulative implications.


This has angered the Inter faithful who claim De Sanctis is accusing a deceased General Director because he can no longer defend himself. The truth is he never had to defend himself. His recorded phone conversations were discarded as evidence by Commissioner Rossi and as a result no one in the Inter camp was ever investigated. This occurred while Facchetti was very much alive. This revelation came as no shock since other referees and referee designers have coinciding stories. It is a year-old accusation backed by recorded phone calls that has mysteriously gone ignored.


As a result many fan-based demonstrations from Turin to Naples have taken place and organizations have been created to fight on Juventus' behalf. One association in Italy called "Giu le Mani Dalla Juve" (Hands Off Juve) has finally broken through to the new FIGC management.


The Federcalcio headed by Giancarlo Abete agreed to consider the possibility of reopening the now year-old case. His decision depends on public interest and therefore I encourage all fans who want to see actual justice served to please leave a comment in the comments box below.

Now Juve fans who won’t stand for more are finally being heard. If this case is reopened through Giancarlo Abete Juve could regain the Scudetti they fought so hard for. In addition, all other affected teams would also benefit from financial restitution if the case is reopened. I would like to take this opportunity to remind readers that last year's punished squads produced 12 World Cup Champions, 15 World Cup Finalists, and UEFA honours for best goalkeeper, best defender, and best all-around player. Later even FIFA recognized Fabio Cannavaro as Player of the Year. All awards were attributed to their performances in Serie A as well as Germany '06.


So, do these players sound like they need referee assistance? The answer is self-evident – no. Sceptics may still be convinced that Juventus cheated to be successful, but I urge all that all real football fans weigh up the real evidence that rarely makes the biased Italian media.


If we are talking about doing justice we can’t stop short of our target, but this target has been warped by unbalanced information. Justice should be blind to influences, but we can see that the powers that be have chosen their scapegoats and given pardons with no real regard for an overall truth.

Andrea Casula from Goal.com - Reader's View - Looking 'Inter' Calciopoli – A Juve Fan Wants Justice

[D-Kin]

Great article.

[azzurri]

Originally Posted by azzurri

...
I bet your wondering, well knowing all this, and seeing as FIAT is the largest corporation in Italy (they own Juve), y didn’t they use their influence to counter that of Moratti’s? No1 really knows for sure, but its worth pointing out that TIM sponsor Ferrari (who FIAT own, FIAT also own Juve) with hundreds of millions of dollars in sponsorship money...

The man who replaced Interista Rossi as chairman of TIM is Pasquale Pistorio, who also serves on FIAT's board of directors.

Maybe this explains are non defense in calciogate. To many business interest collide.

[azzurri]

Moggi:

“If Luca Cordero di Montezemolo had defended Juventus the way he is now defending Ferrari, the club would never have gone into Serie B.”

Consider that Italy's head of sport said a few weeks ago that Juventus got relegated on alot less than what McLaren did to Ferrari in the espionage scandal.

“I was painted as being responsible for all the ills in the world of football. They told FIGC Commissioner Rossi that they just needed to kick Juventus out to resolve everything. When he went, the same people said nothing had changed,” continued Moggi.

“The truth is that the ‘Cupola’ is still the same as it always was with Franco Carraro at the head, swiftly followed by all the current chiefs of Italian football. Carraro was in charge before and he still is now.”

Unfortunately, he is right. Carraro, Collina, Galliani, etc, all who were in the thick of it, have somehow received positions in the FIGC, with Collina becoming ref designator the ultimate disgrace.

“I ask myself another question – why were Inter never wiretapped? The answer I give is because Marco Tronchetti Provera put the phone down.”

Tronchetti being the owner (up until a few months ago) of Telecom Italia and the 2nd largest shareholder in Inter (he also owns Pirelli, Inter's sponsor). Than there is Guido Rossi, former Inter board member who than magically became FIGC president during the scandal, and than resigns to join Telecom Italia as their president. U couldn't make this up if u tried.

“The power is now centred in Milan and Inter will win the Scudetto for four years on the trot. To achieve that they had to get Patrick Vieira and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, two Juventus players I would never have sold to them.

“I will say even more – that rather than hand them over to the Nerazzurri, I would have let Juve lose money. But this is how they managed to win what they had not done in 18 years.”

channel4.com - Football Italia

[azzurri]

Were famous!

Facebook users, search for the group titled "Calciopoli or Falsopoli; The Truth Behind The Trial That Crippled Juventus".

Once there, on the discussion board section, there is a topic on this thread, labelled "Really Informative Link to Calciopoli Thread". Some1 sent a link to the creator of the facebook group.

The creator of the group is extremely knowledgeable on this subject, and was nice enough to point out a few errors in this thread. Ill copy and paste what he wrote:

A reader found this link and sent it to me. It is great.

Calciogate; The Truth

This thread is loaded with valuable info and is very accurate. It is nice to see others taking up the good fight against the injustices of Calciopoli. I urge everyone to read the thread. That being said there are a handful of inaccuracies that I want to touch on for the readers.

- Guido Rossi wasn’t actually an official president. He was the Head Commissioner of the FIGC because Carraro (then President) was forced to step down due to his heavy role in the wire taps which I’ll touch on in a minute. After the scandal Guido was set to be named President but instead went to Telecom Italia and as a result Inter’s buddy Giancarlo Abete was named president.

- Milan were not exactly implicated in the same fashion Juve were. Milan were actually caught (Meani) ordering refs, requesting refs, and instructing refs/linesmen on how to officiate Milan games (i.e. “keep your flags down unless it’s on the opposite side of the field”). Meani was actually heard threatening a linesman (Coppelli) with violence. Milan were guilty of Article 6 violations and deserved Serie B but since it was the second time in the club’s history (Calcioscomesse in 1980) the team would have likely faced Serie C2 or been dissolved as a company entirely. Due to the severity Galliani used an argument with Chief Federcalcio Investigator Borrelli in a public meeting (held behind closed doors) that Meani acted alone and that his role (Milan Director of Referee Relations????) was separate from the club’s affairs despite Meani being on the Milan payroll for years. To solidify this point Borelli had the phone recordings connecting Meani to Galliani and Berlusconi pulled from the investigation. I still have them and Galliani is made well aware and even encourages Meani’s actions. Borelli effectively managed to reduce Milan’s article 6 violations to an article 1 violation only punishable only by a point deduction…enough to grant Inter its scudetto but keep Milan in the CL wrongfully (win win). Juve on the other hand never requested refs, never spoke with them, and certainly threatened no one and were still tried for Art 6 violations..

- The manipulation of the tapes was proven in court when a Telecom employee (Caterina Platea) confessed to destroying mounds of transcripts and altering names on others. The orders came from a Telecom paid detective (Adamo Bove) who committed suicide within two weeks of his assistant’s confession (July 21 2006 I believe). There are a few videos on the Facebook forum that show a technician manipulating calls with his computer that you should also watch under the SWIS SIM Card link. They actually also speak of a program used to make calls with the voice of another person called “Cambia Voce” (Voice Change). Moggi still insists that some calls (though hardly incriminating) were not his and this program would explain how they came about.

- The question of the “different fate” had Inter not been in charge of the trial is answered by the Torinese Magistrates that handled the exact same tapes months earlier. Juventus were found not guilty of anything at all. It wasn’t until Inter’s henchmen seized their opportunity that all the calls became “incriminating”.

- Fiorentina, Lazio, and Reggina were implicated for minor offenses according to the thread but that is only true for Reggina. The other two were initially tried and found guilty of actual match fixing and rightfully so. Lazio president Lotito begged referee designers for a hand and it got worse when FIGC President Carraro yelled at Referee Designer Bergamo for sending a referee that didn’t assist a struggling Lazio. He was heard saying “even if it isn’t a penalty you tell them to give us the penalty…understand? After they play Milan though…obviously…cause we need to give them a hand”. Why was Carraro (Milanista and former Milan president) so interested in protecting Lazio? Easy, he owns the majority of the team along with Roma, which by the way is already illegal based on the UEFA rule that prohibits dual ownership of clubs within Europe (the rule kept Abramovic of Chelsea from buying Cagliari in 2003). He ownes 40% of Capitalia Investment Bank which owns the majority shares of both AS Roma and SS Lazio. It is no wonder they were of interest. It shouldn’t shock anyone now to see that Roma were never investigated and after an appeal Lazio went from Serie B with a point deduction to Serie A with a 3 point deduction. Fiorentina were also found guilty of attempted match fixing because owner Della Valle proposed fixing Lazio-Fiorentina to Lotito in favour of Fiorentina (a phone call taken out of the investigation on appeal). The reason it was taken out was because if Fiorentina were convicted of attempting to fix that game (ART 6 Violation) then Lazio too would be found guilty of not reporting Della Valle’s actions to the FIGC (also an ART 6 Violation). Fiorentina were only saved by default to protect Carraro’s investment. By the way Berlusconi also has his hand in Capitalia Investment group (being Milan’s owner makes that 3 times illegal).

- Lecce-Parma was the only “fixed” game of the season according to judges but it was really just an excuse. No evidence supports it and when referee De Santis tried to defend his case with video evidence the judges refused to accept the videos claiming that they were irrelevant??????. Truth is someone wanted De Santis discredited, perhaps because of all the incriminating phone calls he received from Facchetti (late Inter President) that could have blown up in Inter’s face. It should be noted that no videos or actual phone calls were allowed to be used as defense in these proceedings because they were deemed irrelevant. An example is when Moggi’s phone call stating that referee Rosetti was “no good for Juve” was used as referee manipulation (he wanted someone else for Juve according to the prosecution). When you listen to the whole call you hear him explain that Rosetti can’t do a Juve game because he is a resident of Piemonte (where Torino is located). Since the Lega rule states no referee can officiate a team of his region, the call can be justified and discredited as evidence of referee manipulation. Moggi couldn’t bring the recording though…it was “irrelevant”. Instead they used the 3 lines or so that the Neapolitan magistrates conveniently extracted from that call to show what they wanted…it was more “relevant” that way.

- Juve’s involvement runs deeper than what is posted in the thread. Caterina Platea also confessed to seeing Montezemolo (Ferrari President and FIAT Director) present at Telecom meetings. The FIAT boys hated the triade and wanted them out definitively (without the possibility of them going to a competitor like Inter and Milan who both tried buying them). They obtained that by selling shares of Juventus to new buyers (hand picked) just prior to the scandal to minimize Moggi and Giraudo’s shareholder voting power. Financial evidence of this can be found in Juve’s financial statements. This lack of voting power forced Moggi and Giraudo to step down and Bettega was soon replaced as well. With the triade castrated, FIAT was finally able to take command of the team and obtain more funding for Ferrari through Telecom Italia sponsorship.

Enjoy

[azzurri]

Author: Giuseppe Solinas, taken from Facebook group titled ""Calciopoli or Falsopoli; The Truth Behind The Trial That Crippled Juventus".

This story was nearly 10 years in the making and has nothing to do with soccer and everything to do with money, power, and politics. I'm involved in various activities revolving around Calciopoli and have become somewhat of an expert in the topic. I'm fluent in Italian and as a result have been able to go through archives of newspaper articles, interviews, and books (written by lawyers). The most evidence you will get however is in reading the declarations and sentences left by the judges that presided over the trials and appeals. Most Juventus and Anti-Juventus fans (outside of Italy) have no idea that no shred of evidence existed linking Moggi and company to a single fixed game. Most people are unaware of the judge's declaration that "no game was fixed and referee selections were legitimate" Cesare Ruperto CAF judge. So why the punishments? Equally puzzling, why did Milan get a slap on the wrist after Meani threatened a linesman over the phone "when Milan is on the field keep your flag down unless the ball is on the opposite side of the field otherwise we'll chop your head off" Leonardo Meani. Why was an Inter investor and former Inter employee allowed to control the trial? This man Guido Rossi not only omitted evidence that would have cleared Juventus but discarded evidence that would have condemned his former employers (Inter). Do people know that there was phone tap evidence of Udinese and Milan organizing a tie? Do people know that there was phone tap evidence of Galliani and Collina meeting personally after hours at Meani's restaurant? Do people know the same man that sponsors Italian soccer through his ownership of TIM Mobile managed to intercept the phone calls that would eventually be used against Juventus? Do they know that he gave them to his partner (Moratti) illegally through a police officer who sanctioned the intercepts and then ordered that they be altered or destroyed in cases where Inter were incriminated? Eventually a security employee at Telecom Italia confessed to the shady wire taps and the police officer killed himself on July 21st 2006 (his name was Adamo Bove). Does anyone know that the wire taps were never listened to in court despite Juventus defense requesting it? When Juventus requested to use video evidence it was denied too. People are in the dark on this case because it is convenient to many to believe that their team was losing because someone else was cheating...others are unwillingly in the dark because evidence is hard to find and hard to understand (unless you are fluent in Italian). As a result I have been strongly considering writing a book in English regarding the case (now known in Italy as Farsopoli). I am questioning the level of public interest however. It would take months to put together and I'd hate to do it for nothing. For now though feel free to ask me whatever you want and I'll do what I can to shed light on the situation. I'm more than happy to answer your questions. For now I'd suggest reading this article which helps understand why the media painted such an ugly picture of Juventus. Goal.com - Reader's View - Looking 'Inter' Calciopoli – A Juve Fan Wants Justice Let me know what you think. If you get anything out of this article it should be the web of power Juve were up against. Here are some names in powerful positions just to give you an idea:

- FIGC President (at the time): Franco Carraro (ex-Milan President and co owner of Lazio/Roma through his control of Capitalia Credit Bank)
- La Lega Calcio President: Adriano Galliani (Milan Vie President)
- Italian Referees Association (AIA) President: Tulio Lanese good friend and political affiliate of Silvio Berlusconi and known Milanista (known on wire taps as Tulio “miLanese”)
- FIGC Referee Designers: Bergamo and Pairetto underlings of Carraro, Lanese, and Galliani as evidenced by the wire taps…now Collina after secretly meeting with Galliani assumed that role
- Prime Minister (at the time): Silvio Berlusconi who controls several TV stations, magazines, and newspapers, as well as controlling one of Italy’s biggest political parties (Forza Italia). Through his TV station ownership Berlusconi controls all Soccer TV rights (therefore ad revenue) for all teams competing in Serie A and B (this would later be used as blackmail to keep Milan in the Champions League).
- Italian Soccer Sponsor: Tronchetti Provera (massive Inter shareholder and personal friend of Moratti) owns Telecom Italia and its sister company TIM Mobile and which not only provided Inter owner Moratti with phone intercepts but also sponsors all soccer competition in Italy (Serie A TIM, Coppa Italia TIM, Supercoppa Italiana TIM)…also owns Pirelli Tires (Inter primary sponsor) and also owns LA7 (major Italian TV Station)
- Federcalcio (FIGC Investigations) President: Borelli, a political associate of Berlusconi and discovered having meetings behind closed doors with Galliani throughout the trial
- Federcalcio Commissioner: Guido Rossi, major Inter shareholder and former Inter director also sat on Telecom Italia’s board of directors
- President of la Gazzetta dello Sport: Carlo Bore also acting as Vice President of Inter
- Editor and Chief of la Gazzetta dello Sport: Verdelli and Cannavo’ both Inter shareholders
- Vice President of Federcalcio: Massimo Moratti Inter Owner
- Current Commissioner of the Federcalcio Investigating Inter for Accounting Fraud: Stefanini acting lawyer for La Spezia soccer team (40% of which is owned by Moratti)

So...still sound like a "Moggi controlled system"?

Finally (and believe me there is still WAY more to the story) I want to inform you of what our team was actually accused of. The accusation of match fixing revolved around three games. This is key to the case and all but proves how ridiculous it was.

Game 1: Lecce-Parma – yes you read right. The game has nothing at all to do with Juventus but this game allowed Fiorentina to survive Serie A in 2005. The ccusation is that the Moggi controlled referee De Santis fixed the match at the request of Moggi after Della Valle (Fiorentina owner) asked Moggi for help. Moggi actually can’t stand De Santis and De Santis can’t stand Juventus. It was De Santis (admitted Interista) that disallowed a legitimate Juventus goal in the Italian Supercup costing Juve the trophy and handing it to Inter wrongfully. All intercepted phone calls regarding this game showed Della Valle contacting Bergamo (referee designer) and Carraro (FIGC president) and Mazzei (FIGC Vice President) directly with no mention of Luciano Moggi.

Game 2: Juventus-Udinese – the actual “fixed” game was Udinese-Bologna the week before. The idea was for the Moggi controlled referee to give yellow cards to Udinese players that were already carrying yellow cards so that they couldn’t play against Juventus. The players handed yellow cards that day were Pinzi and Di Michele. In actual fact neither was carrying yellows and both were on the field against Juventus the following match day.

Game 3: Juventus-Sampdoria – here the accusation was that the Moggi controlled referee allowed an offside goal to stand granting Juventus a 1-0 win over Sampdoria. The game actually ended 0-1 for Sampdoria with Aimo Diana scoring an offside goal. The result can be found on espn.com still today.

To close it should be noted that both Cesare Ruperto (CAF judge) and Piero Sandulli (Federal Court judge) declared that no system of pre-planned yellow cards existed and that no game was fixed by referees. It was also expressed that referee designations occurred throughout the season regularly. In other words the season was legit. The phone calls showed unsportsmanlike conduct by all parties but this is an Article 1 offense punishable by a 1 to 3 point deduction and a possible fine.

Finally the CAF sentence declared that “though no Article 6 offense can be found in the investigation, the overall conduct of Moggi and Giraudo (the latter heard on 3-5 phone calls mostly about nothing) created an unsportsmanlike environment favorable to Juventus in the standings AS EVIDENED BY THEIR 1ST PLACE FINISH IN THE SEASON IN QUESTION”. This is like saying that driving is proof of being a car thief. In the end the sentence tried to lead us to believe that Juventus obtained an unfair advantage in the standings without conditioning referees or fixing a single game…mysterious no?

Feel free to ask me anymore questions. By the way...there isn't a single recorded conversation between Moggi and a referee or linesmen with one exception; Paparesta called Moggi to apologize after a mistake of his cost Juventus a game against Reggina. Moggi said one line "I have nothing to say to you" and hung up.

I enjoy shedding light on these matters so feel free to share my points with others and ask me whatever you like.

FORZA JUVE!

[azzurri]

Author: Giuseppe Solinas, taken from Facebook group titled ""Calciopoli or Falsopoli; The Truth Behind The Trial That Crippled Juventus".

Hello Juve Fans,

I've been keeping in touch with a few hardcore fans desperate for info. I'm happy to provide whatever I can. I'm passionate about this topic and am lucky enough to be fluent in both languages (I use both on a daily basis) so I have more of an opportunity to find and understand these facts.

I have in my possession actual legal files like the Juventus TAR appeal that was pulled from the courts hours before they were to stand trial. I have wire tap transcripts in their entirety including some that were never used in court (conveniently). I have dossiers mounted against teams like Inter and Milan. I have studies regarding calciopoli and post-calciopoli. I also have books published this last year (some written by lawyers) for the purpose of shedding light on the situation. I also have links to archived articles in various Italian newspapers where critical interviews were conducted and then forgotten. Even youtube has become a source of important info as many interviews were conducted on camera. Perhaps the most important info I got my hands on are the actual sentences made against Juventus and the successive declarations made by the judges responsible for the sentencing. It is here that the biggest contradictions exist and manage to basically demolish any credibility the case may have had initially. I have names, dates, and page numbers.

There is a problem. All this info is in Italian. If you by chance understand it...I'd be more than willing to share it. If you do not, I suggest simply asking me questions. This is what I've done with others and I'm happy to do it for whoever wants it. I do not know everything and don't pretend to. When I don't know something I will not try to pass on opinion as fact. If I write opinions I say they are opinions so as to not misinform (like the Italian press).

A fan has requested statistical proof for a video he intends to make so I extracted a few things I have uncovered. Another contact in from youtube requested some info so I am adding it to the email as well.

As far as stats are concerned, I’ll see what I can do to help. I have an article that I personally wrote in the hopes that goal.com would publish it. They refused twice. I’ll send it that at the end of the email as well. The info was extracted from the following link should you choose to double check: Uno studio ha contato i torti arbitrali dell’ultimo campionato. The article describes a study conducted after Calciopoli and proves that things were cleaner before and that the accusers have become the accused. I’m questioning why goal.com wouldn’t post the article.

Another study was conducted and posted on www.juventus1897.it regarding the statistical evidence that supported (or contested) the accusations regarding referee treatment during the 2004-2005 season. This first list shows how the teams benefitted from having players who had already previously been booked, receive another yellow:

Atalanta 22
Brescia 19
Reggina 18
Inter 17
Juventus 17
Lecce 17
Livorno 17
Messina 16
Cagliari 15
Sampdoria 15
Lazio 14
Parma 14
Siena 14
Udinese 14
Chievo 13
Milan 12
Bologna 10
Palermo 9
Fiorentina 8
Roma 8

Wow…looks like Atalanta (relegated) should be under investigation. Funny how Inter was just as “favored” as Juventus here huh?

This second list shows how the teams benefitted from having players suspended during their match due to having received second yellow cards in the previous match. For instance imagine Milan playing Livorno without Lucarelli because Lucarelli got a second yellow card against say Brescia. This would count as +1 for Milan on this list:

Atalanta 30
Reggina 27
Juventus 25
Brescia 24
Lecce 23
Sampdoria 22
Lazio 22
Siena 22
Inter 21
Parma 21
Bologna 20
Livorno 19
Cagliari 19
Udinese 19
Milan 19
Messina 18
Chievo 18
Palermo 16
Fiorentina 12
Roma 11

Amazingly Atalanta is still the most favored. What’s funnier is that the team accused of “fixing” this season is actually in 3rd on the list a mere point ahead of Brescia (another relegated team) and only 4 bookings ahead of the “honest” Inter. Consider 38 matchdays at 90 minutes a piece…I think it is safe to say that there is little or no statistical significance to that difference (I’ve had to study plenty of statistics).

The third list shows overall bookings given to players the previous week. In other words, regardless of whether or not they had prior cards, if Inter plays Juventus on Sunday and Emerson had a yellow the previous Sunday against say Palermo…Inter would be at +1 (the idea is that Emerson may feel he needs to hold back to avoid a second successive booking and then suspension).

Atalanta 97
Lazio 90
Lecce 88
Cagliari 86
Chievo 86
Reggina 85
Juventus 85
Inter 83
Messina 83
Brescia 80
Udinese 80
Bologna 79
Palermo 79
Sampdoria 76
Livorno 75
Milan 75
Parma 74
Roma 74
Fiorentina 69
Siena 65

Juventus here is tied in 6th with Inter in 8th by a mere two bookings. Atalanta is still the most favored.

Looking at the 4th list shows that there was little rhyme or rhythm to the bookings. This list shows how many times a team benefitted from a player receiving a red card in the previous matchday.

Reggina 12
Bologna 9
Sampdoria 9
Siena 9
Atalanta 8
Juventus 8
Palermo 8
Parma 8
Chievo 7
Milan 7
Lazio 6
Udinese 6
Cagliari 4
Brescia 4
Livorno 4
Roma 4
Lecce 3
Inter 3
Fiorentina 3
Messina 2

Finally Atalanta isn’t in 1st anymore…but neither is Juventus. In fact they are quite close to the same Milan that was allowed to stay in the Champions League.

In the 5th list, a measurement of how many yellow cards were given to a team’s adversaries during the match was carried out. Maybe this will prove Moggi was a thief.

Roma 108
Fiorentina 97
Lazio 90
Palermo 89
Sampdoria 88
Cagliari 88
Juventus 84
Milan 84
Lecce 84
Reggina 82
Udinese 80
Siena 77
Chievo 77
Messina 75
Parma 74
Bologna 73
Brescia 73
Livorno 73
Inter 73
Atalanta 67

Looks like Juve and Milan are tied…for 7th.

List #6 is my favorite. This list shows a count of how many times a team’s adversary received a red card during the game. In other words, if Juvetus was playing Reggina and Zebina got a red card it would count as 1 for Reggina.

Cagliari 11
Roma 9
Brescia 9
Bologna 8
Livorno 7
Fiorentina 7
Lazio 7
Lecce 7
Reggina 7
Palermo 6
Sampdoria 6
Milan 6
Chievo 6
Udinese 5
Siena 5
Messina 5
Parma 5
Inter 5
Atalanta 3
Juventus 2

It appears as though Juventus wound up with a man advantage all of twice throughout a 38 game season…wow. Even Inter had that advantage 5 times.

Lastly I wanted to mention a study done by two Universities regarding the 2004-2005 season. The Universita’ di Messina and Queen Mary University in London, England conducted a statistical analysis searching for a correlation between the referees under investigation and the teams under investigation. The researchers were Professor Pietro Navarra (Messina), Dario Maimone (Messina), Ansaldo Patti (Messina) Walter Distaso (London), and Leo Leonida (London). The results were posted in an edition of La Stampa on the 3rd of September 2006.

The study showed that of the four teams under investigation, only Lazio showed a statistical advantage when playing a game governed by one of the referees under investigation. Milan and Fiorentina showed no correlation at all. In other words the two teams had no greater or smaller chance of winning when these referees were officiating. Interestingly Juventus was the only team to actually show a statistical disadvantage when their game was officiated by the referees under investigation. In other words Juventus had more of a chance of losing points in games governed by the very referees they were accused of controlling!

[azzurri]

Author: Giuseppe Solinas, taken from Facebook group titled ""Calciopoli or Falsopoli; The Truth Behind The Trial That Crippled Juventus".

Much has been discussed and analyzed after the highly controversial verdicts of last year’s Calciopoli scandal. The scandal rocked the foundation of Italian soccer and was intended to clean up the ugly side of the beautiful game in Serie A. Much has been said about the methods used and the evidence brought forth but a recent study in Italy has taken a different direction…the present.

An annual study is conducted every year by a statistical research firm known as Adiconsum and Make Tailored Advertising which measures referee accuracy in Serie A. The study called “Virtual Class” was concluded earlier this week and publicized in various Italian sports newspapers such as Tuttosport, Gazzetta dello Sport, Sportsnews, and Corriere dello Sport. These results are now calling into question the efficiency of last year’s sports trial in eliminating shady and partial officiating.

The president of the Association Luciano Lupi made a public announcement from the organization’s home office in Rome indicating that 41.3% of Serie A matches in the 2006-2007 season were falsified by referee errors. This figure has set a new record for Serie A beating the previous record season of 2003-2004. Lupi went on to reveal that referee errors moved 240 points in various directions over the course of the season and altered the standings significantly. After studying all 380 games a total of 157 game altering referee errors were recorded with only two referees over the course of the season registering perfect scores. Further statistics revealed that 2% of errors committed were in relation to phantom goals while penalty shots covered 56% of all errors committed. An average of 5.5 points was falsified per official this year with 95% of the referees committing the errors.

Though no referee names were mentioned a handful of teams were revealed in the study that benefitted from or suffered the consequences of the errors. Reggina for instance was docked 18 points throughout the season and merited a UEFA Cup spot at season’s close. Chievo was wrongfully relegated while Torino wrongfully survived Serie A. According to Lupi Milan were docked 2 points wrongfully while Lazio wound up with 5 points less than they should have had and Fiorentina also ended up missing out on 3 points. The team that benefitted the most from referee errors this season was Internazionale FC. “The team crowned this year was also the league leader in points by error, who the officials arbitrated with what seemed like a sense of fear” Lupi.

Lupi went on to suggest that more technology should be utilized to govern the sport on the field. “The errors should be avoided for the best interests of the teams, fans, and gamblers who invest money annually in the sport. No word yet from AIA (Italian Referees Association), La Lega Calcio, or the FIGC on the matter however, fans of last year’s penalized clubs along with Chievo fans are calling for action. The biggest question being; did last year’s verdicts clear up shady officiating or clear a path for shadier officiating? The study is likely to be used in the appeals of various entities affected by last year’s verdicts that are already in progress, among them Reggina who were mysteriously implicated in last year’s trials and recipients a points penalty only to become the most penalized club in Serie A the following season.
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Whoever speaks Italian let me know. You could make use of official documents, interviews, articles sites, and letters by key figures.

Any questions you can all forward to me and I will gladly do what I can.

Finally,

FORZA GRANDE MITICA JUVE
29 TIME CHAMPIONS OF ITALY WITHOUT FIXING GAMES OR SPORTS TRIBUNALS!!!

With Pride,
Giuseppe Solinas
Juventus Special Member
Juventino DOC Toronto
Associate Giu Le Mani Dalla Juve