Federation opens Juve inquiry

The Italian Football Federation is investigating the content of tapped telephone conversations involving Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi talking of refereeing appointments for matches.

The FIGC have opened an inquiry into the claims which were published by two national newspapers today in regard to intercepted telephone conversations back in 2004.

A series of telephone accounts between Moggi and others in the Italian game have been made public, but it is his relationship with Pierluigi Pairetto, a referees designator at the time, which has made the most headlines.

The Gazzetta dello Sport and the Corriere della Sera both printed transcripts of a conversation between the two in which Moggi asks for certain referees for friendly matches against Messina and Milan. It has also been alleged that Moggi asked Pairetto, who was also part of UEFA’s refereeing commission, for a specific official in the 2004 Champions’ League preliminary tie against Djurgardens.

"I feel like millions of fans, concerned, sad and angry," Federation President Franco Carraro told a news conference. "Errors can be made but the important thing is that they are discovered, verified and that the necessary sanctions arrive."

The FIGC inquiry did actually begin in March, but was only announced today, after the Federation was handed 272 pages of documentation from Turin prosecutors.

Moggi has been unable to respond to the accusations because of Juventus’ enforced media blackout. “We are in Press silence and I have no intention of making a comment,” said Moggi. “Everything is okay.”

Pairetto did look to defend himself though. “It’s sad to read such things which can give a different version of the truth,” he stated. “My good faith can not be brought into question as a result. I have been in contact with many club officials over these years,” he added. “I’ve always looked to defend the work of referees.”

The taps also include embarrassing references to former Juve coach Marcello Lippi, now in charge of the national team, exchanges with journalists and a number of discussions about transfer dealings.

Gianni Petrucci, President of Italy's National Olympic Committee (CONI), which oversees sport in the country, urged the Federation to make a swift investigation of the taps. "The Federation need to accelerate their investigation in regard to the rights of everyone. Above all, who has erred needs to pay the price. It is clear that we want the image and the ethics (of the game) to be respected," he said.