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The world of Italian football has reacted angrily to the prosecutor's proposal to punish clubs and individuals involved in the scandal called "Calciopoli" by relegating them to "Serie B" and "Serie C" leagues and imposing five-year disqualifications.
On Tuesday, prosecutor Stefano Palazzi officially requested the Turin club "Juventus" be relegated to the third-tier "Serie C1" league with a six-point deficit, Rome's "Lazio" and "Fiorentina" teams to "Serie B" with a 15-point deficit, and "Milan" to the same division with a three-point deficit. Individuals involved in the scandal were proposed to be disqualified for up to five years.
"I am stunned and outraged by the prosecutor's demands. 'Milan' has never had help from the referees, and on the contrary, has been the victim of all this. It is hard not to see political motives in these absurd and exaggerated requests. Our official Leonardo Meani only protested and asked for honest referees," said "Milan" president, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
If the prosecutor's requests are accepted in court, on July 10, when the first verdicts are announced, "Milan" vice president Adriano Galliani could receive a two-year disqualification, but the former head of the Italian league categorically denied his guilt: "I have always acted honestly, and the accusations against me are based solely on a single phone call with Meani. I asked the court to listen to that call again. After the match with 'Siena,' I only asked Meani to demand an explanation for so many mistakes against us."
Meanwhile, the prosecutor Stefano Palazzi, who has become the main figure of the day, presented his version of why non-challengers "Lazio" and "Fiorentina" clubs were being proposed such severe punishments: "The system they used consisted of three stages: before the matches, there was contact between club directors and Federation leaders, followed by conversations with referee appointers. In the final phase, contact was made with the match-appointed referee, all of this showing the method used by referees and the former FIGC vice president Innocenzo Mazzini. Ultimately, after the match, those who worked to achieve the expected result received thanks by phone."
However, the "Fiorentina" club released a statement on Tuesday evening denying the accusations: "We will fight in every possible way to ensure that the truth is established, and the fact that 'Fiorentina' is completely innocent is recognized."
The proposed disqualifications of five years for referees Paolo Bertini, Paolo Dondarini, Pasquale Rodomonti, Domenico Messina, Gianluca Rocchi, and Paolo Tagliavento also angered the referees.
"I would like someone to explain to me what I did wrong. I refereed the 'Fiorentina'-'Atalanta' match at the end of the 2004/05 season, but after reviewing the recording, I noticed that the only mistake I made was harmful to the 'Fiorentina' team, not beneficial. Being accused of fixing matches is the most defamatory thing that can happen to a referee," P. Rodomonti protested.
Similarly, his colleague G. Rocchi also spoke about the suspected matches: "In the match between 'Chievo' and 'Lazio,' I may have been a bit excessive in removing Fernando Couto from the field, but he represented 'Lazio,' so I don't understand how I can be accused of helping the 'Lazio' team."
Lateral referee Claudio Puglisi, accused of favoring the 'Milan' team, saw nothing wrong in his conversations: "Meani and I have been friends for 20 years. We used to talk about matches and some situations, but mostly jokingly. Meani never suggested to me how to behave, not to mention the 'Milan' meeting with 'Chievo.' I did not report these phone calls because I considered them just ordinary conversations between friends."
The timing of the prosecutor's requests - just a few hours before the Italy-Germany World Cup semi-final match - also angered the country's top political figures.
"If Italy loses tonight, the fans will know who is responsible," said Senator Francesco Cossiga before the match.
