Fiat boss Luca Cordero de Montezemolo weighed into a refereeing row on Monday by claiming that he had never seen as game refereed as badly as the one Juventus lost to lowly Reggina on Sunday.
Montezemolo joined a chorus complaining that Juve - part of the same Agnelli group as Fiat - lost because of an incorrect penalty decision and added that it was time the Italian soccer world ''rediscovered merit''.
The comments were seen as a criticism not only of the match official, Paolo Dondarini, but of a new ref training and selection programme set up by former super-ref Pierluigi Collina.
The Italian sports press devoted prominent coverage Monday to a letter of complaint from Juve in which the club suggested to the Italian Soccer Federation that the Turin club was still paying the price for the 2006 Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.
According to the Italian media, Juve have had several incorrect penalties given against them while leaders Inter have only conceded two penalties.
Dondarini's lawyer responded on Monday by saying ''too much attention'' was still being focused on Calciopoli.
Some Serie A coaches said Juve's complaint might cause refs to overcompensate in the opposite direction.
There have been repeated rumblings in the media and among smaller clubs this year that top clubs like Inter are favoured by refs who are, allegedly, ''subconsciously intimidated'' by them.
Juve's 2-1 defeat allowed second-placed Roma, 1-0 winners over Fiorentina, to pull four points clear of them.
As well as being head of Fiat, Montezemolo is also chairman of Ferrari and of the influential employers' association Confindustria.
