INSIDE ITALY'S MATCH FIXING SCANDLE

Luciano Moggi, a 69-year-old bald head man with a taste for fine cigars and tailoring that you would expect of a senior Italian football official, agent and, it has now become clear;, crook, is thinking about his future. After all, having just been banned from football for five years and witnessing his life's work collapse around him, he has time on his hands. Last July the luck of 'Lucky Luciano' finally ran out and he was forced to resign from his post as general manager of Juventus, the best supported and most successful club in Italian football, the present champions. On 14 July, a specially appointed tribunal found that, as a result of his activities, Juventus had, over a period of years, won games that they otherwise might not have done. The richest team in Italy were, as punishment, relegated to the second division, Serie B, docked enough points to ensure that they will remain there for at least two seasons and stripped of the championships they had won in the past two years. AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio were also punished - all docked points and all but the first being relegated, although they were reinstated after a successful appeal. Italy, even with its history of sporting and political scandals, had never seen anything like it. And all this in the month when the national team had returned from Germany with the country's fourth Wortd Cup.

The scandal

The scandal of the Century that was Moggi's 'system', known as 'Moggiopoli', was picked over by scores of magistrates, detectives and special legal investigators appointed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in 2004 to investigate claims of organized doping of players. Hundreds of pages of recorded conversations between key figures have been made publicly available. Less available but circulating none the less are thousands of pages of further documents. Together they show that, in addition to four of the most powerful clubs in the wortd, the scandal touches the top ranks of most of the

major Italian football administrative bodies, dozens of referees, several of the best known Italian sports commentators, even a former government minister and, at least indirectly, several of the World Cup squad.
How did one man buy - or at least gain control over - what is one of the richest European leagues, a league that has just produced a Wortd-Cup winning squad (all of the 23-man squad played for Italian clubs)?

Luciano Moggi received or made an average of
416 calls per day. He had six mobile phones and 300 sim cards. In nine months, he made or received 100,000 calls.

A revealing fact is that no one involved in the scandal has been found guilty in a criminal court. So far there is no sign of meetings in hotel rooms where large sums of cash are handed over. There are not even any matches which, definitively, were known to have been rigged. There are no players or referees who have been shown to have accepted brown envelopes. Yet no one doubts that Moggi was able to have a huge, nefarious influence on Italian football which profoundly helped Juventus (and possibly several others) to win. Moggi'was somehow able to select referees for games, influence the selection of other teams, have games postponed or cancelled and influence the media coverage of football in a country in which football is a kind of secular worship. So how did he do it?
Moggi's intercepted phone calls revealed his dealings as a murky cocktail of bribery, blackmail, extortion, violence, kidnapping, tax evasion, false accounting, illegal accounting, illegal gambling and even money laundering. And the cast in the opera range from referees, politicians, managers, coaches, players and the media. He built a network of scouts across the entire country and worked out how to endear himself to the powerful actors in the Italian football hierarchy. But in the capital he broadened and deepened his networks of contacts, moving outside football, so as to control what was happening inside the sport, networking assiduously with politicians, magistrates, diplomats, military officers, celebrities and even journalists.
He understood the value of advertising and media very early on because they were going to be the winners in football, the soul of the business. What Moggi understood, too, was that he needed to stay in the shadows while manipulating something that was continually in the public eye.
Aside from Moggi and Juve CEO Antonio Giraudo, the other actors were Italian Football Federation president Franco Carraro, his deputy Innocenzo Mazzini and a leading member of the referees commission Pierluigi Pairetto. Pairetto's work was to assign referees to Serie A matches and, in his Uefa role, influence of the assignment for the Champions League. Moggi role was not confined to influencing referee selection, he also recommended punishment for officials whose refereeing he considered too "objective"

Politicians

The system cast MO~;jQi in Mr Fix it, a godfather on who aggrieved Serie A bosses could turn to for protection.
Andrea Dalla, a Fiorentina supremo, asked him to help
his club to escape relegation with two weeks to go. "I'm
worried, I don't understand this referee ruthlessness
against us," Della Vella pleaded. "these'professional
killers carry out their work perfectly. Moggi retorted: "the problem is that you didn't come to me sooner. See, you didn't know how things worked and you were hurt by it. Let's see what we can work out so that you are treated fairly from now on." He added: "you want to wage war . and you don't know to go about it. Tell me what I can do to help." A few days later Della Valle was advised that the best that could be done was to provide a referee that would rule in Fiorentina's favour half the time. He was advised to meet the soccer federation's referee selector in a private room and admit that he had "made a mistake. If you don't you will get it in the a""e," he was warned. Prosecutors suspect that Vella was lured into the unholy cartel through threats and intimidation. Transcripts show that Moggi had earlier discussed compiling a dirty file on him, relating to a property deal in Florence, for potential blackmail. Similarly Maggi fielded two calls from interior minister Giuseppe Pisanu, seeking help for his Serie C outfit, Torres, a club based in Pisanu's native Sardinia. ·
"Listen Lucia, I'm calling you because the president of Pisanu is coming to see you on Saturday," Pisanu said in the first call. "Give him my most apostolic blessings and tell him you are seeing him thanks to me." The minister phoned lOiter to complain about a "troublesome" referee. "All right, I'll look into it now," Moggi told him. In his defence, Pisanu said he had been friends with Moggi, who hailed from the same town as his wife, for 40 years. "Torres team came tq,me as a parliamentarian, as happens with other MPs. They begged me to help them. I was only giving them a hand; they didn't ask me anything illicit. I had no idea of all this mess in soccer.

Coaches and players

One of the first to be heard was Marcello Lippi, the Italy coach. On 19 May, three weeks before the World Cup kick off in Germany; Lippi appeared before magistrates to answer charges that his selection of players had been influenced by Moggi. Concerns had been raised by investigations into GEA World, Moggi's sports agency which employs Lippi's son, Davide. The allegation was that Moggi had put pressure on Lippi to select fewer Juventus players for the national team to minimise injuries and fatigue. In the event, Lippi did select five Juventus players for the World Cup (in all 13 out of the squad of 23 play for clubs that have been found guilty in the scandal) and has been cleared of any wrongdoing. It still appears likely however that Moggi attempted to influence the coach - in itself a good example of how his system could work.
Yet it was not just the coach who was touched by the scandal. Just days before the start of the tournament, Fabio Cannavaro, the Italy captain and then Juventus defender, as well as his French team-mate at Juventus, David Trezeguet, travelled to Rome to be interviewed as witnesses by the magistrates investigating allegations of 'illegal competition with use of threats and violence' at GEA. Cannavaro eventually lifted the cup; Trezeguet missed a crucial penalty as France lost the final after extra time. Goalkeeper Gigi Buffon, one of the stars of the tournament, is more seriously threatened. He is alleged to have become involved in illegal betting on domestic games and has yet to be cleared. Moggi's web of intrigues permeated in to the European transfer market. When Juventus decided to sign Ziatan Ibrahimovic from Ajax, Juve CEO Antonio Giraudo told the Swede to intentionally play badly so that his transfer fee might plummet. In one phone call, Moggi rings the CEO to tell him that Ibrahimovic had scored a hat trick for Ajax.
"What the hell! But I specifically told him to play badly," an angry Giraudo is recorded saying. "We had agreed he would play badly, go see the manager after the game, tell him he will never play for them again and demand that he be sold to us." The same trick had been applied to Cannavaro, who was instructed to deliberately underperform at his former club, Inter, in order to facilitate a move to Juve two years ago. Yet that was nothing compared to the arrival of former Chelsea star, Adrian Mutu. The transfer that made the Romanian a Juve player happened in a completely illegal manner, subjecting Italians to serious tax losses.
Moggi showed to the internal Revenue Service officials and Juve owners two false receipts regarding- Mutu's transfer costs. As a matter of fact, Mutu cost Juve nothing. The receipts Moggi showed were invented by a fictitious company in the UK.

Media

The following conversations, both between Moggi and Italy's most famous sports commentator Fabio Baldas, show how he worked. Baldas is Italy's Des Lynam, reviewing the weekend's games in his weekly programme. Moggi, with his canny understanding of the media, had worked out that the best way to conceal the bias that referees were repeatedly showing Juventus was by exploiting his contacts in the mass media. His logic was that though 50,000 might see the game live, millions had their opinions formed by men such as Baldas. According to investigators, Baldas and Moggi spoke before nearly every programme to discuss what was going to be said and shown, who was going to be given the Roman thumbs up and who got the thumbs down.
So, on 18 October 2005, Baldas rang Moggi on his mobile.
Baldas: How are you? Well?
Maggi: Good.
Baldas: Listen Luciano, today we haven't got much ... there is ... Uust] Rodomonti [the referee for a game between Cagliari-Milan over the weekend, later investigated but cleared by the tribunal]. Is it OK if we make him look bad? If you agree, of course ...

Moggi: Oh naturally.
Baldas: And then? And then? There's always
Siena-Fiorentina ...
Moggi: But was there a penalty?
. Baldas: Er ... bloody hell, yes, there was a penalty! ... And there Rosetti [a referee, also cleared by the inquiry]. You know the guy... But if we show him, what are we going t<:> do?
Moggi: No, no, leave him alone ... just drop the Siena game.
Baldas: OK ... if I need a favour will you do me a
favour?

Marcello Lippi

,.,

Moggi: No problem.
Baldas: You'll call me back soon?
Moggl: Yup, soon.
Baldas: Fine, bye.
There are dozens of such conversations. In another tape, Moggi is recorded talking to Aldo Biscardi, the presenter of a popular 26-year old TV programme called "1/ Processo" the Trial, after a match between Milan and Juve, in which Andriy Shevchenko was controversially denied a penalty. "You need to layoff the referee in this one. You either say the referee was correct in his decision or you don't show the images at all a~d gloss over it." Biscardi is among those who have resigned since Moggi was busted.
In fact; according to investigators, Moggi received or made an average of 416 calls. per day. He had six mobile phones and 300 sim cards. In nine months, he made or received 100,000 calls.
So is this conversation with Baldas evidence of corruption? Is it match­fixing? Hard to say. Is it even wrong? It certainly smells bad. But it's not as if Baldas got much out of the arrangement. There is no evidence of cash changing hands. Baldas's motivation was much more subtle. The commentator was presented with an oA'er he could not refuse - in typical Moggi style.
What Baldas did receive in return was acces's to Juventus and a good source in Moggi - 'Moggi was always really useful, really helpful, always finding stuff out if you asked and calling you back,' said one sports
journalist in Rome. Also, of course, Moggi had friends everywhere, in the senior ranks of the football federation, in clubs, among players. Moggi's sports agency, GEA, looked after 200 players. It was run by his son, Alessandro, and employed the children of a dozen of the most powerful financiers and sports investors in Italy; the sons of Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti and of Italy coach Marcello Lippi, and Chiara Geronzi (the daughter of Cesare Geronzi, head of Capitalia, the banking group that finances Lazio) were all on staff. If Baldas or anyone else wanted GEA players on their programme, they required Moggi's assent. If Baldas, or anyone else, wanted a pass to Juventus' ground, they needed to be 'a friend'. Because of all the people Moggi was able to manipulate, Baldas was easily manipulated. That, to repeat, was how the Moggi system worked.
Referees
But sports journalists are hardly the key to throwing games. For that you need referees.
Here things are a little clearer - though not much. The following is not a conversation you would often hear, one hopes, between the general manager of a football club and the head of a national referees' association. It takes place a day after a Champions League third qualifying round game in Turin on August 10, 2004 in which an unfancied Swedish side, Djurgaarden, held Juventus to a 2-2 draw after the Italians had a goal disallowed. Moggi is talking to Pierluigi 'Gigi' Pairetto, head of the referees' association.
Moggl: Gigi, what f**k of a referee did you send us?
Palretto: [Herbert] Fandel? He's number one, he's a top guy.
Moggl: Yes, whatever, but Miccoli's goal was valid.
Palretto: No.
Moggl: It's valid, it's valid.

Pairetto: No, it was right in front [of the ref].
Moggi: What are you talking about ... it wasn't in front ... the entire
game was an absolute disaster.
Pairetto: But you know he [i.e. F'andel] is one of the best guys.
Moggi: Well, I tell you, he can really f**k off. I have to make the return match in Stockholm secure no?
Pairetto: For f**k's sake... mamma mia ... this [one] really has to be a proper game.
Moggi: No, we are going to win ... but with another [referee] like
[Fandel] it's going to be a bit difficult no? You follow me?
Moggi then gives orders for the upcoming Juventus v Messina friendly, naming various referees and linesmen.
Moggi: For Messina, send me Consolo and Battaglia ... with Cassara eh? [None of these officials is suspected of any offence.]
Pairetto: Done already.
Moggi: And who did you send?
Pairetto: I think it's Con sola and Battaglia. I've even sorted the friendly in Livorno. It's all fine.
Moggi: In Livorno, Rocchi [a referee who is eventually investigated but cleared] eh?
Pairetto: Yes, its Rocchi in Livorno.
Moggi: And [against Milan] ... it has to be Pieri.
Pairetto: We haven't done that yet.
Moggi: OK, we'll see to that later.
The referee at the Milan v Juve game on 28 August 2004 is Pieri and Juve win 1-0.
On 23 August, before the second leg of the Djurgaarden game, Moggi and Pairetto discuss the crucial European match. Pairetto assures Moggi that Juventus will win 4-1. And they do.
A week later Pairetto calls Moggi again, once more about the Champions League. Juventus were due to play their opening group game against Ajax in Amsterdam.
Moggi: Hello.
Pairetto: Hey, have you forgotten me? I always remember you!

Moggl: oh come on
Palretto: Hey, I've put in a great referee for the Amsterdam game. Moggl: Who's that then?
Palretto: It's Meier [Urs Meier, a Swiss referee].
Moggl: Well done!
Pairetto: I only called you to tell you that. See I remember you, even if you these days ...
Moggl: Oh, don't break my balls. You'll see t~at when I'm back you'll realise that I haven't forgotten you ...
On 15 September 2004 Juventus played Ajax in Amsterdam and won 1-0. The referee was indeed Urs Meier. He is now working as a pundit on German television, but has not been investigated and nor is he suspected of any offence. However,5£) far seven Italian referees and linesman have been banned as a result of the investigation. Piaretto and his deputy have both resigned. No one has proved that the referees have done anything criminally wrong and though it is clear from the transcripts that some were preferred by Moggi, presumably because they favoured Juventus, there i.s no evidence of cash exchanging hands. Tl=lere is some evidence of the gift of a few tickets, a mobile phone, a short cut to the front of the lengthy waiting list for a Maserati, but nothing serious. Perhaps evidence of big cash gifts will
emerge - criminal investigations are still going on - but perhaps it won't. Many think that there were no such gifts.
So why did the referees, who in Italy are relatively well paid professionals, and Pairetto do what they did? Because they had no real choice, because they were weak, because they were ambitious, because they were caught up in a corrupt system. If they didn't favour Juventus they wouldn't get picked to referee big games. If they displeased Moggi, they might lose their jobs.
One referee was locked in his changing room and threatened by Moggi after Juventus 2-1 defeat at Reggina in November 2004. Moggi assaulted the official who was in charge who had dared to rob Juve 'a triumph it rightly deserves and proceeded to lock him up in the toilets. One referee assessor who saw the whole incident said: "I've never seen anything like it in my life. Moggi and Giraudo came in, and he, (Moggi) was furious. He starts really threatening Paparesta (the ref) and berates him with his finger right up to the refs eye. He was shouting at the linesman too, 'you are an absolute disgrace, not
giving that penalty how dare you?' he then locked him in there. It was crazy.
"I pretended not to see anything and went to the toilet. Don't worry though, I'm not saying a thing a bout it. I didn't remember anything and I didn't see anything. But it was mad, I tell you. .
Moggi was to boast about the whole incident later. "I gave them all hell. Let them have it. I locked the referee and the linesman in the toilet and took the key away with me to the airport. They'll get out all right; they will have to knock the door down!"
When the scandal broke out, Paparesta (the ref who was locked in the toilet) was asked why he kept quiet about it. "if I had reported the incident, they'd have run me out of the game," he replied. But that's relatively mild by local standards. It's not as if he woke up with a horse's head on his doorstep. Like Pairetto, who knew that Moggi was powerful enough to have him fired, the only possibility is that referees very much wanted to be Moggi's friend. And very much did not want to be his enemy.
Numerous times, Moggi ordered referees to administer a most judicious use of the yellow cards that saw players who were one caution away from suspension booked the week before they faced Juve.
Reading back through hundreds more pages of transcripts, the lines of the Moggi system start to become clearer. There are Moggi's attempts to influence the selection of opposing teams through his GEA agency, there is the occasion when, allegedly, Moggi tried to persuade a government minister (through Pisanu) to give the go-ahead to games that were set to be cancelled because of the imminent death of Pope John Paull! (Juventus were scheduled to playa Fiorentina side lacking two players suspended and two injured). There is nothing as crude as an exchange of cash, just friendship and favours. And when you have one man who has so much power, built up over so many years, through so many friendships and so many thousands of favours, from the very top levels of administration to the scouts in unknown provincial grounds, no one individual can resist. You are either inside - and safe and comfortable - or outside the system - which is a very lonely place to be.

Maggi's defence
The scandal could never have come out under the previous administration of Silvio Berlusconi, whose right-wing government was ousted by a left­wing coalition led by Romano Prodi in a close, bitterly contested election in April. It is not just that Berlusconi is owner and president of AC Milan, one of the clubs implicated in the scandal, but that the media magnate and former nightclub singer epitomises, for so many, the 'old way' of doing business in Italy. Prodi and his administration hope to use the investigation of Moggi and his system to show that a new integrity has entered Italian political and social life.
On 17 July, Moggi spoke to the newspaper La Repubblica in Follonica in his native Tuscany.
'How are you Mr Moggi? Are you going to return to the world of football?' the reporters asked. 'I'm very well,' Moggi replied. 'My sister said she has never seen me so relaxed ... Of course [I'll return to football] ... but this time I'm going to be the guy who breaks everybody's balls. I'll finger them all, by their first names and their surnames. I'll break the balls of all the false moralists of this world who think that everything is clean now because they got rid of ... Luciano Moggi.'
"It wasn't me who invented this football; it's the system that has always worked like this. Ali i know is that I've been ambushed and stabbed in the back in a way that I could never have imagined." Moggi said he wished his case had gone rapidly in front of court rather than being played out in the media. "They have slaughtered me, it would have been better to be indicted right away than be slagged off like this."