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| June 29, 2006 | Thursday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 2, 1427 |
Italians brace for football scandal trial
ROME, June 28: Hawkers sold T-shirts mocking champions Juventus outside Rome's Olympic Stadium on Wednesday as workers prepared the site of a sports tribunal that will deliver verdicts in Italy's biggest soccer scandal.
A six-person panel of retired judges will convene on Thursday morning to consider match-fixing charges against Serie A clubs Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio, as well as 26 officials, referees and linesmen.
The accused are charged with sporting fraud and unfair conduct, which could lead to the teams being relegated and stripped of their titles, and the individuals being either suspended or banned from football.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC), which appointed the tribunal, has said it will rule by July 9 -- the date of the World Cup final in Germany -- and that any appeals would be heard by July 20.
Thursday's session was expected to begin at about 9:30am (0730 GMT), FIGC officials said.
Workers were busy on Wednesday readying the room inside the stadium where the trial will be held. The room, under the stadium's west stand, hosted press conferences during the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
They were also preparing a waiting room for the accused and their lawyers, a room in which the tribunal judges will consider their verdicts, and a press room where 150 journalists will follow proceedings via closed-circuit television.
“We are not allowed to let anyone in,” said a security guard at the entrace to the stadium. “The workers are still in there getting the rooms ready.”
A national landmark, the Olympic Stadium usually hosts the games of Serie A clubs Lazio and AS Roma.
For Juventus fans, it holds special memories. Ten years ago it was the venue for the most glorious chapter in the team's recent history when they beat Ajax on penalties to win the Champions League.
Today it threatens to become the backdrop to their fall.
Juventus are believed to face the greatest risk of relegation.
The scandal began early last month with the publication of intercepted telephone conversations between former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi and senior Italian Football Federation officials, discussing refereeing appointments during the 2004-05 season.
A tearful Moggi said on Tuesday that he had been “crucified” by the media and found guilty before the start of the trial.
“Look, I'm not a saint but I've not been in the company of angels,” Moggi said in a lengthy television interview.
Although Moggi is at the centre of the scandal, it was not clear whether he would show up at the trial. He refused to be questioned by the FIGC investigator, saying he had quit his Juventus post and thus was not subject to its powers.
However, Moggi has been put under investigation by prosecutors in two cities probing for possible criminal offences. A total of four separate criminal investigations have been launched and could lead to eventual charges.
The public will not be allowed into the football tribunal, but that has not stopped some people from cashing in on it.
Near the stadium a stall was hawking T-shirts poking fun at Juventus and Moggi. One showed Moggi's head superimposed on the famous cinema shot of Marlon Brando as The Godfather under the title “Lucky Luciano” -- one of Moggi's nicknames.
“Shame on Juventus” read another. A third showed a fictional “Moggi Football Club”, with Moggi on the bench leading a team largely made up of the referees facing charges.—Reuters
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