Tuesday Football

21 April 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Juventus ordered play behind closed doors

Juventus have been ordered to play a match behind closed doors after fans of the Turin club directed racist songs and slogans at Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli. Sporting judge Gianpaolo Tosel cited nine specific occasions throughout the 90 minutes where Juventus supporters racially abused Balotelli, the Palermo-born son of Ghanaian immigrants.

Tosel handed down the punishment on Monday, stating in his remarks that "during the match, on many occasions, home team supporters in various sections of the ground directed racially discriminator songs to a player of the opposing team. The willful repetition of this deliberate behavior—which has nothing to do with sport—and the failure of other supporters or the club to make any attempt to discourage the conduct further compound the seriousness of the events."

Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giancarlo Abete has also denounced the behavior of the Juventus fans.

"I would like to express my clear condemnation and great regret about what happened to Balotelli," he stated at a press conference in Rome on Monday. "Maybe the FIGC rulebook should be revised."

At the moment, Italian police are permitted to stop a match if they spot racist banners in the stadium, but they have no power to prevent the singing of discriminatory songs and are not mandated by the FIGC to halt a match if they hear them.

"We could consider somehow connecting these two aspects of the regulations," said Abete, adding, "At the next federal council meeting, we will look at the regulatory framework intended to deal with racism at football grounds."

Abete concluded his remarks by stating that "Italian football is not the scum of the earth."

The hasty condemnation of the incident by the Italian football authorities and the equally swift penalization of Juventus marks a definitive shift in the FIGC's approach to handling questions of racism and violence. Where before they would have been content to sweep the matter under the rug—as they have persistently done with issues of racism, violence and matchfixing—they now appear willing to tackle the trio of problems that continue to scar the reputation of Italian football.

There are two reasons for the sudden shift in philosophy. At the top of the list is next month's Champions' League final. Having the match moved to another venue at the last moment would be a major embarrassment to the Italian Football Federation.

Italy is also planning a bid to either host or co-host an upcoming European championship. If their offer is to be taken at all seriously, they will have to do a considerable amount of housecleaning first. FIFA and UEFA do not look kindly on the sort of events that took place in Turin on Saturday.

Juventus will play their closed-door match against Lecce on May 3.

Trezeguet mulling summer move

David Trezeguet is poised to walk out on Juventus after being frozen out of the side by manager Claudio Ranieri. The 31-year-old was benched for Saturday's match at home to Inter Milan and has struggled to get into the lineup since recovering from double knee surgery.

Despite his pedigree—he has scored 161 goals over nine seasons with the Bianconeri—Trezeguet has become Ranieri's fourth-choice striker after Amauri, Alessandro Del Piero and Vincenzo Iaquinta. And although he is three years younger than Del Piero and just three and two years older than Amauri and Iaquinta, respectively, his agent believes the 31-year-old has been frozen out because of his age.

Antonio Caliendo raged against Juventus after his client was held out of the Inter Milan match. "He is married to Juventus," he said. "But sometimes when marriage is not going the right way, people divorce."

Manchester City are tracking the situation closely. In January, Caliendo admitted to having received a lucrative bid from the Premier League side, believed to be worth 20 million euros. Chelsea are also thought to be keen on the World Cup and European champion.

If Trezeguet is to make a switch, however, he will have to request it. He is currently contracted to Juventus until 2011, and Ranieri has yet to indicate a desire to sell him. That said, the 6-foot-3 forward scored 20 goals last season and could net a substantial return on the open market. His sale would go a long way toward financing the swoop for Diego that has been rumored for months.

Chamakh fancies Spurs

Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh has singled-out Tottenham Hotspur as a preferred destination, should he depart the Stade Chaban Delmas in the summer as expected. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a breakout season in France and is also an integral part of Morocco's World Cup bid.

But while he would certainly be a hot commodity on the transfer market, Chamakh won't be leaving Bordeaux unless they force him out. This, after all, is his hometown club, and his allegiances run deep.

"I first want to talk with Bordeaux," he told French magazine L'Equipe over the weekend. "If I leave," he added, "it will be abroad or nothing. I am going to give my priority to England. That's the league I appreciate the most."

The forward also conceded that he would have difficulty getting first-team football at one of the top four English clubs, but admitted that White Hart Lane would make a nice fit.

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