Moggi sent to trial for match-fixing
Reuters - Friday 03 October 2008, 17:12
NAPLES - Former Juventus general manager
Luciano Moggi was among 25 people sent to criminal trial on
Friday for their alleged role in Italy's 2006 match-fixing
scandal.
Moggi could face prison if found guilty after a judge at a
Naples preliminary hearing decided prosecutors had presented
enough evidence to warrant a trial.
Lazio president Claudio Lotito, Reggina president Pasquale
Foti and Fiorentina honorary president Diego Della Valle are
also among the accused along with a number of club directors and
former match and federation officials.
The trial will start in January.
Franco Carraro, the ex-president of the Italian Football
Federation (FIGC), has been cleared of the charges against him
along with another former federation director.
Italian media reported that 10 others accused had opted for
a separate fast-track procedure.
MOGGI BANNED
Moggi was banned from football for five years after being
found guilty at a 2006 sporting trial for being at the centre of
attempts to procure favourable officials to influence results in
2004-2005.
Juventus were stripped of their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles
and relegated to Serie B.
AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, Reggina and Arezzo suffered
points deductions because of their involvement in the latest of
a number of match-rigging incidents in Italy in the past 25
years.
Juventus achieved immediate promotion from the second
division and returned to the Champions League this season after
a third-place finish in Serie A last term, having managed to
retain a loyal fan base and some of their best players.
Moggi is also one of six men accused of fostering unfair
competition through the use of threats or violence as part of
Italy's Gea World sports agency in a separate trial in Rome.
Moggi's son Alessandro and Davide Lippi, the son of Italy
coach Marcello, are among the defendants.
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