Good morning.
Outside shot. That’s the only way to look at it.
Reuters are reporting this morning that the Italian gendarmes are not only investigating a suspected match fixing ring, but they have just hoisted Juve trainer Antonio Conte for questioning as well as actually arresting Lazio’s capitain, Stefano Mauri among about 19 others.
A police statement said five people had also been arrested in Hungary on suspicion of being part of an illegal international betting consortium said to be headed up by Singaporean gambling identity Tan Seet Eng.
‘In this part of the investigation, indications have emerged of manipulation in matches from the 2010-11 Serie A championship, including games between Lazio and Genoa and Lecce and Lazio.‘
Raffale Grassi, director of SCO, the police service responsible for the investigation told SkyTG24 television.
If ‘ifs and ands were pots and pans, there’d be no need for tinkers’, but if there is as much substance to this suspected criminal activity as there very well might be then Tottenham would be as well placed as anyone to appeal for any spare place that might emerge.
Platini has already said that he would probably change the rules if it meant getting Juve into the CL. I know he was (half) joking but I don’t believe for one moment that Juve won’t be safe, even if their trainer is implicated in this latest scandal.
Obviously he has no loyalty to Lazio but they aren’t in the CL anyway (only 3 teams from Italy and Lazio finished 4th).
H, living in Asia nothing fails to surprise me when it comes to betting!!! Lets put it this way no eyebrows would be raised if this all proved true. In my time out here I have seen some ‘interesting’ wagers come in for people…
And as UnkleKev states, five Hungarians arrested and Marlon Fulop is what nationality….think we’d all agree that it just happened to be one of the most inept displays of goal keeping since Bruce Grobbelar, but at least he never fixed matches,Hang on didn’t he…
:daumen:
I think it could only happen if Fulop was implicated- and it was proven (innocent until proven guilty)- that he (allegedly) took a bung to ensure Arsenal got the last CL place… otherwise no- but it would be nice if it did happen that way.
What Fulop did he should have got 8 match ban and 30 million quid fine for losing Spurs Millions. There will be standing room only on the white sea horse owned by the Oil stealer Messi Robynn Fulop have all got sun loungers on the top deck with Captain Abramovitch
You have to wonder if the english league is whiter than white. I just look at the money being banded around and the same teams in the champions league each year. Alas I don’t think this will benefit spurs one bit. It’ll go to an Italian side and rightly so.
UEFA have already said that the rule which allowed Cheatski to take our place was a mistake and is inlikely to be in place in four years’ time. If Juventus are thrown out of the Champions League I can see UEFA punishing the Italian FA as a whole (what with them being ‘Seria’-l offenders ‘n’ all) and we’d have to fancy our chances of taking their place next year. Either way, I have more than a sneaky suspicion that Danny Boy’s lawyers are already on the case…
I would like to think so too Kev, but i just can’t see Platini agreeing to 5 English teams in the UCL.
@ defectedmonkey: Just look at Fulop. How much did he get paid?