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Disturbing wiretaps show former FIGC president targeting Juventus
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During the 2006 Calciopoli scandal that rocked Italian football, Franco Carraro, the former president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), was heard in wiretaps urging referees to not favour Juventus if they were in doubt, and to help Lazio out.
The scandal led to Juventus being relegated to Serie B and other clubs, including Milan, Lazio, and Fiorentina, being docked points. The accusations against the teams were that they were in contact with officials to try to get more favourable referees assigned to their matches, not that they were involved in sporting fraud.
In a new investigative report aired on Rai 3, previously unheard wiretaps were played in which Carraro appeared to contradict the general narrative of the Calciopoli scandal. In one wiretap, Carraro told referee Paolo Bergamo, “If in doubt, don’t favour Juventus,” before a match between Inter and Juventus.
He also mentioned that referee Pierluigi Collina would not have been a problem because if he made a mistake, nobody would say anything. Referee Pasquale Rodomonti was advised to think about the team that was further back if he was in doubt.
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Another wiretap found Carraro asking Bergamo to “help” Lazio after a series of bad decisions had gone against them. He also urged Bergamo to make sure the referee for the Chievo-Fiorentina game had “learned from last time” he sent off two Fiorentina players. The game ended 2-1 for Fiorentina, with Chievo protesting that they were not awarded a penalty.
The Calciopoli scandal was a turning point in Italian football, leading to significant changes in Serie A. The scandal was not just about the involvement of teams in contacting officials to get more favourable referees assigned to their matches, but also about the pressure put on referees to make decisions in favour of Juventus.
The newly revealed wiretaps, however, suggest that the situation may have been more complicated than previously understood, with Carraro’s comments indicating that other teams may also have been seeking favourable treatment.
While the Calciopoli scandal may be in the past, the new revelations may lead to further questions about the involvement of officials in Italian football. The sport has been working hard to restore its reputation, and these revelations may serve as a reminder that there is still work to be done to ensure that Italian football is fair and transparent.