An Italian football federation probe into Italy's 'Soccergate' will be quick thanks to groundwork laid by police, emergency supremo Guido Rossi said Wednesday.
Rossi confirmed the timescale recently announced by the respected ex-prosecutor he appointed to frame disciplinary charges for the FIGC federation. Francesco Saverio Borrelli, who led the early '90s Clean Hands probes that shattered Italy's political and business establishment, came out of retirement last week to act as Rossi's special prosecutor.
After a quick assessment of various criminal probes, he said he expected to wind up his inquiry in about three weeks.
"Borrelli's right, three weeks will be enough thanks to the fine work done by the magistrature," Rossi said. Rossi, a top lawyer who helped firms adjust to the post-Bribesville landscape before turning his hand to anti-trust and sporting regulations, said his own work on preventing a repetition of Soccergate was "proceeding well".
He declined to be drawn on the sanctions he expected from the FIGC probe, saying "That's up to the FIGC disciplinary panel".
Asked about the rate of fresh developments - a new accusation emerging every day - Rossi replied, "I expected it".
Around 40 people are under investigation here for allegedly conspiring to rig games in the 2004-2005 Serie Aseason.
Nine referees, former Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) Chief Franco Carraro and Lazio Chairman Claudio Lotito are among those being probed, as well as former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, the alleged ringleader. Earlier this week Fiorentina owner Diego Della Valle told magistrates his club was the victim of a corrupt soccer system and not a part of it.
Wiretaps leaked to the press seem to suggest Della Valle tried to get FIGC to assign friendly officials to Fiorentina, which was in danger of relegation at the end of the 2004-05 season.
Della Valle has appeared on several television shows claiming that all he wanted to do was make sure Fiorentina had a level playing-field. He argued this was necessary because the club had actually been on the rough end of the 'Moggi system' up to
then.
AC Milan, the club owned by former premier Silvio Berlusconi, has suggested it may use a similar defence.
Fiorentina, Lazio, Milan and Juve are involved in the match-rigging side of the scandal that has shocked the nation.
But prosecutors in four cities are looking at different elements of the alleged corruption, ranging from illegal betting to false accounting, doping and transfer fraud. Most Serie A clubs are suspected of some involvement. The sporting disciplinary process has to be wound up quickly because UEFA makes the draw for next season's European club competitions at the end of July.
Juventus risk being dumped from Serie A and the European Champions League and being stripped of the 2005 and 2006 crowns. Fiorentina and Lazio, which finished fourth and sixth in Serie A, may be relegated too and lose their respective
places in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The Italian press says Milan are not so deeply implicated and will probably face a league-points penalty at most.
On Tuesday Lotito, the Lazio chairman, was accused of forming an illegal syndicate to stave off hostile bids and rigging Lazio's share value on the Milan bourse. On Wednesday the Italian journalists' guild said it would be tough on any of its members found guilty of playing down accusations of favouritism or tampering with slow-motion replays to wipe out evidence of deliberate 'mistakes.'
