Scandal-tainted Italy feel the pressure
Source: AFP |
June 2, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CESARE Prandelli said he would have no problem pulling Italy out of the European Championships, which start in a week's time, if that decision was taken to avoid tarnishing the image of the game.
Italy is being dragged through the mire once again due to a match-fixing scandal, in which first choice left-back Domenico Criscito was caught up leading to Prandelli ditching him from his tournament squad.
Since then a pair of Juventus players have also been implicated with centre-back Leonardo Bonucci being accused by a former teammate of complicity in match-fixing when at Bari.
And now it is goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon who is suspected of illegal betting as reports have emerged that he spent 1.5 million euros over an eight-month period in a tobacco shop in Parma where you can place bets on football.
Buffon allegedly made 14 different payments ranging from 50,000 euros to 200,000 euros and totalling 1.585 million euros to Massimo Alfieri, the owner of the tobacco shop. It has led to rumors that Italy may lose more players if further leaks or investigations implicate Bonucci and Buffon, or indeed other players, in a more concrete manner.
"If it is decided that for the good of football the national team should not go to the Euros then that wouldn't be a problem," he told RaiSport. "As far as I'm concerned it wouldn't be a problem, there are more important things.
"I don't like crusades, I like meetings rather than taking a position without thinking about the repercussions. I would like to only be talking about football but what is happening is forcing me to do otherwise. As for the players, I repeat that those who are involved will not go to the Euros."
Italy is being dragged through the mire once again due to a match-fixing scandal, in which first choice left-back Domenico Criscito was caught up leading to Prandelli ditching him from his tournament squad.
Since then a pair of Juventus players have also been implicated with centre-back Leonardo Bonucci being accused by a former teammate of complicity in match-fixing when at Bari.
And now it is goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon who is suspected of illegal betting as reports have emerged that he spent 1.5 million euros over an eight-month period in a tobacco shop in Parma where you can place bets on football.
Buffon allegedly made 14 different payments ranging from 50,000 euros to 200,000 euros and totalling 1.585 million euros to Massimo Alfieri, the owner of the tobacco shop. It has led to rumors that Italy may lose more players if further leaks or investigations implicate Bonucci and Buffon, or indeed other players, in a more concrete manner.
"If it is decided that for the good of football the national team should not go to the Euros then that wouldn't be a problem," he told RaiSport. "As far as I'm concerned it wouldn't be a problem, there are more important things.
"I don't like crusades, I like meetings rather than taking a position without thinking about the repercussions. I would like to only be talking about football but what is happening is forcing me to do otherwise. As for the players, I repeat that those who are involved will not go to the Euros."
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