Italy Federation investigating Juve phone taps
By Simon Evans
MILAN, May 5 (Reuters) - The Italian Football Federation is investigating the content of tapped telephone conversations involving Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi talking of refereeing appointments for Serie A games.
The content of Moggi's telephone conversations during the 2004-05 season, intercepted by investigators in Turin, have been published in Italian newspapers and were passed on to the Federation who said they had already opened an investigation.
The probe by Turin public prosecutors was closed without action. Juventus won the title in the season concerned.
"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."
Carraro said the Federation had received 272 pages of documentation from Turin prosecutors in March and added that the investigation would be swift and serious.
Moggi was dismissive of the affair.
"It's all a load of rubbish. Ask yourselves above all why they have done this on the eve of a title-win that we fully deserve?" he told website TG Com.
Juventus can claim their 29th Italian league title if they win against Palermo on Sunday and rivals AC Milan fail to win at Parma.
In the interceptions, Moggi talks about the selection of referees for specific games with Pierluigi Pairetto, who at the time was in charge of appointing match officials.
"I am very sorry to read things which could appear very different from the reality," Pairetto told the Italian news agency ANSA. "Maybe there were some comments which were inopportune but my good faith is beyond question."
NOT INFORMED
Antonio Giraudo, Juve's managing director who also features in the taps, told a news conference in Turin that the club had not been informed of the investigation or of the content of the taps.
"I'd like to know why these intercepts were given first to newspapers and not to us or our lawyers. We found out about this through the newspapers and it is only today that we have received copies," he said.
"It is incredible that the fundamental rights of people can be of so little concern," he added, noting the Turin investigation had stated in September that it had found no evidence of wrongdoing and had closed the case.
"Once again Juventus and it's directors are under the spotlight of a media trial that is without precedent in the history of football," said Giraudo, who added he had no intention of resigning.
"We will come together, as we have done in previous years, and I am sure we will obtain even better results on the field," he said.
The taps, which have resulted in front page headlines in Italy's sports press, 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, 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.
Only Moggi denies it! That Pairetto guy is surely a dumbass! And Giraudo too 
