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| June 20, 2006 | Tuesday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 23, 1427 |
Italian Scandal: Magistrate hands findings
ROME, June 19: The magistrate leading the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) probe into alleged match-fixing in Serie A on Monday finished his investigation and passed his findings to the Federation's prosecutor.
Francesco Borrelli, who headed the ‘Clean Hands’ probe into political corruption in the early 1990s, handed over the results of six weeks of interviews with referees and officials from the FIGC and leading Italian clubs to Stefano Palazzi.Leading Serie A sides Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina are among the clubs under investigation.
Borrelli's report was not expected to recommend specific sanctions, leaving it up to Palazzi to decide which clubs or individuals should be charged and stand trial, Italian media said.
Trading in the shares of Juventus, considered to be at the heart of the scandal, were suspended due to heavy losses on Monday ahead of the report being handed over.
Palazzi is expected to order people to stand trial by sporting authorities by Friday. Trials are due to start between June 26 and 27, with a ruling coming between July 7 and 9, on the eve of the World Cup final.
Borrelli told journalists as he left the FICG headquarters that his report was 180-190 pages long, but he gave no further details. However, he said it would be wrong to think Italian football was corrupt through and through.
“The football world is not rotten to the roots, it is rotten in some of its branches,” he said.
The probe began last month after newspapers published transcripts of intercepted telephone conversations between former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi and Federation officials discussing refereeing appointments for matches.
The scandal, the biggest to hit Italian sport in more than 20 years, forced the resignations of former FIGC president Franco Carraro and the entire board of Juventus.
Moggi himself quit on the final day of the season after watching Juve wrap up their 29th Serie A title.
In addition to the FIGC probe, there are another five magistrates investigations across the country.—Reuters
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