Italian football scandal

Ingram Borg left me at a loss after reading his reply (Hands Off Juventus, June 5) to my letter on the football scandal in Italy. He stated "the problem in Italian football is the system not Juventus". Well this time the system was run by Juve.

Mr Borg reminded us of Fiorentina and Milan and how Milan through the linesman Mr Puglisi (a great Milan fan) influenced the outcome of two matches. Well, if these charges are confirmed, then Milan must pay the price for such dishonesty as the other Seria A clubs involved in the scandal. As things stand now, Milan's problems are only a minor headache compared to Juventus ones. It is clear from the gravity of the case that Milan and Juve are not in the same boat as some want us to believe. No one from the Milan board is accused of "threats and violence" as are Moggi and Giraudo. These two gentlemen used mediaeval methods on referee Paparesta after the latter's error in Reggina vs Juventus which ended in a victory for the home side.

I also believe that Mr Puglisi's CV is not as full of "mistakes" as the one of Massimo De Sanctis. This referee, who was going to represent Italy in the World Cup, unfortunately has a history of "mistakes" when refereeing Juve matches. One does not need to ask which side gained from such "mistakes". Unsurprisingly, he was the one pulling the strings for Moggi (or should we say Lucky Luciano as he is known in Italy), recruiting referees to Moggi's cause.

This time Italian football has hit rock bottom. In these last two years we witnessed everything in Italy from crowd violence and racism towards African players to corruption.

And in Italy they used to ask themselves why their stadiums were always deserted while the ones in Spain and England were jam-packed. A true football lover perceives when something is wrong. As for me, I lost all interest in Italian football as this case extinguished the little fire that was left in me at the prospect of watching the Serie A.

The Serie A, once described as the best league in the world, is now a second class championship compared to the Spanish Liga and the English Premier League. No wonder that the few remaining top class players in Italy are leaving the country at the first opportunity that comes at hand.