WHERE'D ALL THE GOOD PEOPLE GO?
by Clinton Ooi
Even as the World Cup approaches its crucial point a separate realm of world football is at its critical stages. In recent months the match-fixing scandal in Italy has been escalating and is now approaching its boiling point.

26 football officials have been charged so far including Serie A club officials, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) officials, referees and linesmen who will appear before a Sports Tribunal in Rome.

While Juventus FC have been at the forefront of the accusations, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina are in the mix of the contreversy as well. Let us inspect the parties involved and their charges.

Luciano Moggi - Former Juventus General Manager
Moggi was at the centre of the scandal from the very beginning when taped telephone conversations between him and senior Italian football officials discussing refereeing appointments for games in the 2004/2005 season were intercepted and published.

Antonio Giraudo - Former Juventus Chief Exectuive

Giraudo is under investigation on suspision of 'false accounting' in Juventus's transfer dealings.

Adriano Galliani - AC Milan Vice-president and former president of the Italian Football League

Galliani's dual role has led to accusations of conflict of interests.

Leonardo Meani - Member of AC Milan management

Phone taps caught Meani speaking to an official assigning linesmen in April 2005, complaining about a linesman he selected after Milan lost to Siena.

Claudio Lotito - Lazio President

Phone taps caught Lotito telling former FIGC vice-president Innocenzo Mazzini that Deigo Della Valle (Fiorentina owner) made him an offer in relation to their game against Fiorentina at the end of 2004-05 season. He is also under investigation for suspicion of market-rigging involving Lazio shares.

Diego Della Valle & Andrea Della Valle - Fiorentina owner & president

Phone taps caught them complaining about refereeing decisions to Moggi and FIGC official Paolo Bergamo during the 2004-05 season.

Sandro Mencucci - Fiorentina Director General

Phone taps caught him telling Bergamo and former FIGC vice-president, Innocenzo Mazzini that Diego Della Valle will continue to promote the interests of Serie A's smaller clubs in return for favours from referees.

Franco Carraro - Former FIGC president

Being questioned for suspicion of being aware of manipulation of refereeing appointments and not taking any action to stop it.


Innocenzo Mazzini - Former FIGC vice-president

Phone tapped conversations with Moggi sees Mazzini discussing which Juventus delegate will be attending a meeting on refereeing appointments and making references to Carraro.

Cosimo Maria Ferri - A member of FIGC commission for economic disputes

Ferri is charged with knowing about the manipulation of refereeing appointments in Lazio matches and not taking any action to stop it.

Pierluigi Pairetto - FIGC official in charge of assigning referees in 2004-05 season and former member of UEFA's refereeing commission

Phone taps reveal Pairetto disclosing to Moggi the referee for the Champions League game between Juventus and Ajax Amsterdam in September 2004 two weeks before the game.

*UEFA rules state that the identity of a referee is to be communicated only 48 hours before the match.

Paolo Bergamo - Former FIGC official

Bergamo worked with Pairetto during the 2004-05 season, assigning referees to Serie A games.

Tullio Lanese - Former president of the Italian Referees Association

Lanese is suspected of knowing about the manipulation of refereeing appointments and doing nothing to stop it.

Gennaro Mazzei - Former FIGC official in charge of assigning linesmen to Serie A matches

Pietro Ingargiola - Former observer for the Italian Referees Association

Ingargiola claims in phone taps he was present when Moggi and Giraudo locked referee Gianluca Paparesta in his dressing room after Juventus's 2-1 defeat by Reggina in November 2004. Yet he did not report the incident.

Massimo De Santis - FIGC's proposed referee for the World Cup - withdrawn because of involvement in match-fixing investigation

Seria A referees:

• Paolo Bertini
• Pasquale Rodomonti
• Domenico Messina
• Gianluca Paparesta
• Paolo Dondarini
• Gianluca Rocchi
• Paolo Tagliavento

Claudio Puglisi and Frabrizio Babini - Linesmen - specifically assigned to Milan's match against Chievo Verona in April 2005. Puglisi is a noted Milan fan. Milan beat Chievo 1-0.

With UEFA's dateline for registering clubs for European coming on 27 June, in the coming weeks we will see where this all leads. Will Serie A giants be Serie B favourites? Will there be an exodus of players and managers of the clubs involved? Whatever happens, the damage has been done and the fans will suffer most as the Italian football begins its resurrection from the dead.

I know you are innocent until proven guilty, but as Jack Johnson croons, "Where'd all the good people go?"