Roma striker Francesco Totti could be the star of this year's World Cup and may give Italy a winning edge, soccer legend Pele' said on Monday. "Totti is a great figure for Italian and world soccer," said the Brazil great.
"If he's fit, he could make the difference".
Totti has just started playing for Italy again after breaking a leg in February. He showed flashes of form in two World Cup warm-ups. Asked about the scandal rocking Italian soccer, Pele said "It's made a big noise in Brazil too. It's bad for
Italy, inconceivable".
"I hope they're all punished if they're found guilty: managers, referees and players". "The important thing is to regain people's trust. That's the saddest thing".
Pele, regarded by many as the best player in world soccer history, said he thought the match-fixing allegations would not affect the Italian team's performance. "If anything, it'll spur them on to give people a good image of Italian soccer".
Italy plays Ghana in its opening match on June 12. It later plays the United States and the Czech Republic.
