Azzurri Some Day for Claudio Ranieri

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Claudio Ranieri has expressed an interest in managing Italy, saying he could “never rule out” taking over his country’s national team.

The 64-year-old’s remarkable success with Leicester City has significantly boosted his profile and led to Carlo Tavecchio, the president of the Italian football federation, suggesting he could one day lead Italy to World Cup glory, and even suggested Ranieri, who was born in Rome, could succeed Antonio Conte after he leaves the national team following their participation at Euro 2016 and joins Chelsea.

“I hope Ranieri can win a World Cup with Italy, that would be the best,” said Tavecchio. “I’m speaking in an abstract way, of course, and not necessarily about the next World Cup. Claudio is still young and will have time on his side.

“Have we thought about him as a replacement for Conte? It’s him who should be thinking about us!”

Ranieri’s previous experience of international management was with Greece, a post he was sacked from prior to taking over at Leicester last July.

“I’ll admit I was curious about coaching a national team, but my experience with Greece was sufficient,” Ranieri said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Of course, leading Italy would be something else. I’d never rule that out, and I’d like that very much. And Leicester, after all, have blue shirts just like the Azzurri.”

During the same interview, Ranieri admitted that he would have accepted a job in “the Football League” after being let go by Greece, such was his desire to return to England having previously managed in this country with Chelsea.

“Two other Premier clubs had contacted me but then they made other choices. Leicester convinced me because of their sense of leadership, their programs, and their facilities. They are perfectly organised,” said Ranieri. “When I met the players I told them: ‘I’ll take a bit of time to know you all because you are so many, but you will need to know a single person: me. I ask only one thing: that you give all you can for each other’. And they did.”

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Juventus Win Scudetto

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Roma’s Radja Nainggolan scored the only goal in the final minute against Napoli to end Maurizio Sarri’s team’s slim hopes of catching Serie A leaders Juventus.

Napoli needed to win in Rome to stand any chance of catching Juve, who overcame a poor start to the campaign to win 24 of their 25 next games. Juve lead Napoli by 12 points with three games to go, while Roma’s win sees them move just two points behind second and seven clear of fourth-placed Internazionale.

Juventus say they have no intention of selling their top players and are determined to assert themselves as a major force in Europe next season after wrapping a fifth successive Serie A title.

Despite their domestic dominance, Juve’s European form has been patchy over the past few seasons with one group stage elimination and two defeats to Bayern Munich – in the quarter-finals and this season in the round of 16. Even when they reached the final last season, they were seen as upstarts rather than equals of teams such as Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, who has been in charge for the last two seasons, wants that to change and is determined to strengthen the squad still further in the close season.

“The club will focus on improving the squad, as it did last summer, bringing in young players with great technique. Next year we must focus on winning the Champions League. It’s somewhat narrow-minded just to focus just on Serie A,” he said. “It was hard to digest this year. We got knocked out this year on the final cross of the game against Bayern Munich but we need to do better next year.”

Serie A clubs often have trouble holding onto their players in the face of the greater financial power of their English and Spanish counterparts. However, Juventus have already stated that they intend to keep Paulo Dybala and Paul Pogba, their two most precocious talents.

Pogba, 23, has come on hugely this season after being given more responsibility after the departure of the veteran playmaker Andrea Pirlo. A player who combines finesse and physical power, Pogba could fetch more than £100m if sold, Juventus estimate. Allegri, however, said jokingly last week that he would rather keep the Frenchman than have the money to spend in the transfer market.

Dybala, one year younger, has also shone in his first season following his move from Palermo, scoring 16 goals.

“Over the course of our history, Juventus have very rarely let our best players go. Paul, as well as Dybala, is part of the core of this team and we do not intend to put them on the market,” said the chief executive, Giuseppe Marotta. “We want to go out and get great players while keeping our most valuable pieces. We will only sell players who have told us they want to leave, but that is not the case with Pogba or Dybala or any of the others.”

In many ways, this year’s title has been the most unexpected of the last five. Juventus got off to a miserable start after losing Pirlo as well as top scorer Carlos Tevez to his native Argentina and tireless midfielder Arturo Vidal to Bayern Munich, and were 11 points off the pace by the end of October. But after taking 73 points out of a possible 75, they clinched another title with five games to spare.

“To win this season would be really crazy and unbelievable,” said the goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon after the 2-1 win at Fiorentina on Sunday. “We’ve shown the technical and moral strength of the group, the determination not to give in and our ability to astonish.”

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Cesare Maldini 1932 - 2016

Former Milan defender and Italy manager Cesare Maldini has died at the age of 84, the Serie A club have announced.

The Italian won four league titles with the Rossoneri between 1954 and 1962 and also captained Milan to their inaugural European Cup triumph in 1963. He would later go onto manage them, winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup and Coppa Italia in 1972-73. He helped Italy to World Cup glory in 1982 as the team’s assistant manager, and got the chance to coach his son, Paolo, when he was appointed as Italy manager between 1996-1998.

Milan said in a statement: “AC Milan sends its condolences to the Maldini following the passing of Rossoneri great Cesare Maldini. Cesare skippered the club to its first European Cup triumph in 1963 at Wembley and the loss of such a key figure in Rossoneri history has left everyone at AC Milan moved and saddened. Cesare had recently turned 84 and he left his mark at the club not only as a player, but also as a coach and scout.

The club president Silvio Berlusconi and the rest of the club will always remember fondly his charisma, kindness and warm smile.”

Franco Baresi, another legendary Milan and Italy defender, led the tributes to Maldini: “He was above all a really good person and he has left us. He was a legend and an incredible captain. As a coach he achieved so much and I had the good fortune of getting to know him really well. I was lucky enough to share with him the experience of the 1982 World Cup. I learnt so much from him. He was important and key in passing on the kind of values that we so often forget.”

Milan have confirmed that they will wear black armbands in Sunday’s match against Atalanta and the Italian Football Association have said that there will be a minute’s silence before all matches on Sunday and Monday in Italy in memory of Maldini.

Mauro Tassotti, who played over 400 matches for Milan and played under Maldini for the national team, also expressed his condolences. “I had no idea he was unwell,” the 56-year-old said. “It’s such a blow for Paolo but also for my family and football as a whole. He was involved in the game for 60 years. This is a sad day for our sport and not just for Milan. I will remember Cesare for his kindness. He was a part of several eras of the game. In my view, he took that benevolence that existed in the 1960s and modernised it.”

#RIP

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Cannavaro in Napoli Match Fixing Charge

Serie A title contenders Napoli and team captain Paolo Cannavaro have been ordered by the Italian soccer federation to face match-fixing allegations.

Current and former Napoli players Gianluca Grava and Matteo Gianello and ex-Napoli assistant Silvio Giusti were also called in for questioning over the Sampdoria-Napoli match on May 16 in 2010.

Sampdoria won the match 1-0 with a goal from current AC Milan player Giampaolo Pazzini in the 51st minute. It was the final round of the season and the victory secured Sampdoria fourth place and a spot in Champions League qualifying.

Gianello and Giusti face sports fraud claims, while Cannavaro and Grava are accused of failing to report fixing.

Cannavaro is the younger brother of former Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro.

Napoli could be deducted points and the players could be banned if found guilty.

Several others were also called in for questioning over alleged fixing in the lower-division Portogruaro-Crotone match in May, 2011.

The accusations stem from an investigation by Naples prosecutors.

Gianello told Napoli prosecutors in June last year, and then confirmed to federation officials, that Giusti attempted to fix the match and asked Cannavaro and Grava to help, according to the ANSA news agency.

Cannavaro and Grava allegedly refused to take part in the fix but they did not report it.

Napoli trail Serie A leaders Juventus by three points, as the southern club chase their first title since Diego Maradona helped secure the championship in 1987 and 1990.

Four Serie A clubs were already been docked points this season for match-fixing. Siena was penalised six points, Atalanta two, and Sampdoria and Torino one each.

The federation's justice system provides two levels of sentences: The disciplinary commission's initial verdict and an appeal. Sentences can then be appealed to a national sports arbitration court, which has the final word.

Antonio Conte, the coach of Serie A champion Juventus, recently had his ban reduced from 10 months to four months by the arbitration court.

"The dynamics of sports justice are illogical," said Cannavaro's lawyer, Ruggiero Malagnini, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport's website.

"The news doesn't surprise me. It was in the air. Clarifications have been made and they will have an effect on ordinary justice. Now our focus will be on sports justice."

At least 50 people have been arrested for match-fixing since the middle of last year, with scores more under investigation by prosecutors in Cremona, Bari and Naples.

In another development, Napoli has been fined 150,000 euros ($A189,000) by European soccer's governing body UEFA for stadium failures, ignoring security directives and "inappropriate behaviour" by fans at a Europa League match.

UEFA also threatened the Italian club with closing its Stadio San Paolo for one European competition match if problems are repeated within five years.

The sanctions follow Napoli's sub-standard organisation of a home Europa League match against Swedish club AIK on September 20.

Napoli was given a November 6 deadline to provide "photographic evidence that the necessary repair work has been carried out".

Otherwise, UEFA will prohibit Napoli selling tickets in 12 sections of the main stand when it hosts Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk of Ukraine on November 8.

Napoli can appeal the sanctions to UEFA within three days.

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Prandelli Frank About EURO 2012

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli claims he would have 'no problem' if the national team was withdrawn from Euro 2012 with the country gripped by another match-fixing crisis.

The Italy boss was speaking at the end of a week which has seen police make 19 arrests, including Lazio captain Stefano Mauri, while Prandelli dropped Domenico Criscito from his squad for the Euros after the Zenit St Petersburg defender was questioned at the team training camp.

Those events led Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to suggest the game would benefit from being suspended for "two to three years" to root out the problem once and for all, but the scandal has only continued to spread with the lawyer of Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon forced to leap to the defence of his client amid further claims.

With confidence in Italian football now severely shaken, Prandelli seemed to echo the sentiments of Monti and others in suggesting that cleaning up the game is "more important" than carrying on as normal.

"If you told us that for the good of football we should not participate, it wouldn't be a problem for me," Prandelli told RaiSport.

"There are things that I believe are more important."

Prandelli added: "I dislike crusades. I prefer to face up to things and not take positions without considering the consequences.

"I would rather only talk about football, but events are conspiring against this."

Buffon

Prandelli was speaking after Buffon's lawyer appeared on television to reject claims about the Juventus veteran, who is not under investigation by the police.

Marco Valerio Corini told SkyTG24 television: "There is nothing which could even carry the faintest suggestion of a connection between Gianluigi Buffon and any betting activity that would concern him in any irregularity either with respect to federation rules or criminal law.

"There is not the slightest foundation for any suggestion that this is connected with a bet."

Prandelli admitted he did not know what effect the matter could have on his goalkeeper.

"We keep on saying those players caught up in the investigation will not be going to Euro 2012," he said.

"How is Buffon's mood? You should ask him. He is very strong, with a great personality. He manages to hide uncomfortable moments, but despite this, even a person like him can suffer in a difficult moment like this."

Criscito, who came under the microscope after prosecutors discovered a photograph of him speaking with other suspects, has spoken today of his own heartache at missing Euro 2012, while claiming that he has been made a "scapegoat" after his very public questioning on Monday.

"On Monday morning, I was shocked," the defender told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I never expected it. I have not done anything wrong in my life, as those who know me can attest.

"When I realised the reason for the questioning, I and my family co-operated fully.

"But I don't understand why, when this relates to a photograph of me that is more than a year old, they did not speak to me before, but instead waited until one day before the start of training."

Having been questioned under the full glare of the media at Italy's training camp, Criscito now fears he will forever be associated with the scandal regardless of whether he is found guilty of involvement.

"Being dropped from the squad, I know, makes me a symbol of the scandal," he said.

"I feel anger and sorrow because I should not be a scapegoat for something I am not involved with."

Criscito has also been angered by the fact that Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci, who has also been placed under investigation, has not been dropped from the squad as he has not yet received an official notification from the authorities.

"We both should have gone to Euro 2012," Criscito added. "The fact that I received an official note does not mean that I'm guilty. Perhaps the FIGC should have read the order before cutting me from the team."

Del Piero and Old Lady in Last Win

Alessandro del Piero scored in his last league appearance for Juventus as the newly crowned Serie A champions beat Atalanta 3-1 to become the second Italian side to win the title by going the whole season unbeaten.

Del Piero signed off in style in front of the home fans as he doubled Juventus' lead in the 28th minute to cap a near 20-year career with the Old Lady.

Kuventus took the lead in the ninth minute when Marco Borriello forced his way into the area and set up Luca Marrone, who opened the scoring with a powerful right-footed shot.

And Del Piero, who has been at Juventus since 1993, scored his 289th goal for the club shortly before the half hour when he fired home from the edge of the area.

The Juve captain was substituted in the 57th minute to a standing ovation as the players and staff of both teams joined in with the resounding applause for the club icon.

The standing ovation and cheers continued even after Del Piero had left the field and the fomer Italy forward got back off the bench and walked around the pitch saluting the fans and gathering scarves which had been thrown down to him.

The city of Turin was in party mood with hundreds of thousands of fans gathered in the streets as Juventus celebrated its first title in nine years. 

Around 5,000 fans welcomed the team bus as it arrived at Juventus Stadium, decorated with three stars as the club still counts the two titles it was stripped of following the 2006 match-fixing scandal.

Antonio Conte's team became only the third side ever to go the entire season without losing a game. Milan also won the title unbeaten in 1992. 

Perugia went the entire 1978-79 season without losing a game but didn't win the league.

Atalanta pulled one back eight minutes from time when Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner turned Giacomo Bonaventura's cross into his own net but the home side restored its two-goal advantage in stoppage time after Thomas Manfredini brought down Borriello in the area and Andrea Barzagli fired home the resulting penalty.

The celebrations are set to continue through the night, with an open-topped bus parade planned for this evening.

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Mauri Arrested in Match Fixing Probe

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Serie A to Face Investigation

More than 20 football teams are to be informed that they are facing investigation as an Italian inquiry into match-fixing reaches a new phase.

De Canio Appointed by Genoa

Genoa has fired Alberto Malesani following a protest-filled 4-1 loss to Siena and hired Luigi De Canio for the final five matches of Serie A, marking a record 18th coaching change in the Italian league this season.

It's the second time Genoa has sacked Malesani this campaign.

While Genoa has not made an official announcement, club president Enrico Preziosi confirmed the move to RAI state radio Monday.

Genoa risks a multi-match home stadium ban and could face even harsher measures.

"It's not enough to ban the stadium, we need to stop these delinquents that are damaging football and Genoa," said Maurizio Beretta, the Serie A president.

It's the latest in a long list of crowd trouble at Serie A matches, and Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Petrucci declared Monday that the situation is "beyond the point of no return."

Sunday's match with Siena was suspended for about 45 minutes early in the second half, when Genoa fans threw flares onto the pitch and climbed atop barriers as they were faced by stewards in riot gear.

With their side trailing 4-0, players even removed their shirts in front of the hard-core "ultra" fans to acknowledge they weren't worthy of wearing them.

Genoa has the worst defense in the league and is one point above the relegation zone with a match at AC Milan on Wednesday.

The previous record for coaching changes in Serie A was 15 in 1951-52.

Ten clubs have changed managers at least once, with Cagliari leading the way with three firings.

Malesani was first fired in December after a 6-1 thrashing by Napoli, but Genoa was equal on points with the ninth-place team at the time. Malesani was rehired earlier this month after Pasquale Marino was fired.

Giancarlo Abete, president of the Italian football federation, said the players shouldn't have given in to the fans' demands, but Preziosi said the shirt removals "made good sense, to prevent something worse from happening.

"They were throwing fireworks and small bombs onto the pitch," Preziosi said. "These 60-70 people are not fans, they're just organized delinquents."

Speculation over the home stadium ban that Genoa will likely receive ranged from two to three matches.

Genoa only has two home games remaining this season -- against Cagliari on May 2 and against Palermo on May 13.

There will also likely be an inquiry into why players removed their shirts.

And police have already begun an investigation to identify the fans involved, with possible charges including damage to public property, throwing dangerous objects, violence and interruption of a sports event.

An Italy-Serbia match in the same stadium last season was stopped in similar circumstances -- albeit with Serbian fans causing the violence. There were also massive clashes following the shooting of a Lazio fan by a police officer at a highway rest stop in 2007. And the hard-core "ultra" fans forced the 2004 Rome derby to be suspended after a false rumor spread that a boy had been shot by police outside the stadium.

The latest protests came just a week after all Italian matches were canceled following the death of Piermario Morosini in a Serie B game due to cardiac arrest.

"I'm not sure people realize what is happening to part of the football world," Petrucci said. "A week ago we had a drama and there was dedication to (improve), but yesterday it seemed like nothing had happened at all. We showed how you can ruin the best show in the world.

"Whoever can intervene needs to, and CONI is leading the list," Petrucci added. "I just hope that starting tomorrow we don't go back to just talking about matches with nobody admitting that we should be ashamed of ourselves."

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Genoa Siena Serie A Stopped

Genoa players stripped off their shirts in a gesture of apology to angry, flare-throwing fans Sunday as their protests forced a 45-minute delay during the team's 4-1 loss to Siena in Serie A.

Genoa is in danger of being relegated, and the gesture was an apparent way for the players to acknowledge they were not worthy of wearing the club's shirt.

The unusual scene came as protests broke out among Genoa supporters early in the second half as their team trailed 4-0.

Fans threw flares onto the field and climbed atop barriers as they were faced by stewards in riot gear at the Luigi Ferraris stadium, forcing families with small children to flee.

Genoa forward Bosko Jankovic was compelled to leave his seat on the bench after an argument with fans.

Genoa captain Marco Rossi spoke with the fans at one point and then removed his jersey before gathering some of his teammates' shirts in an attempt to appease the supporters.

That seemed to work as the fans eventually calmed down -- while Siena and the referee went into the locker room -- and the match resumed in the 54th minute without incident.

"This violence is unacceptable," Italian soccer federation President Giancarlo Abete said. "These are not fans. I hope these people are found and condemned. They shouldn't ever be allowed to enter stadiums again."

Genoa president Enrico Preziosi said "it's upsetting that 60 or 100 people have the impunity to do and say what they feel like without being stopped and sent home."

"It's not possible that they take over the stadium and impose their laws," he said.

The scene was reminiscent of the Italy-Serbia match at the same stadium in October 2010, which was stopped by violent clashes between Serbia fans and police.

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Minister Urges More Screening

Italy's sports minister Piero Gnudi has requested for athletes to undergo more frequent medical tests following the sudden death of Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini.

The 25-year-old, on loan from Udinese, collapsed during Saturday's Serie B match at Pescara and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.

A post-mortem examination will be conducted on Monday to ascertain whether Morosini's cause of death was cerebral or cardiac.

Gnudi said: 'It is always difficult to accept the death of a young man of only 25, especially during a context of enjoyment and sport.

'The recent repetition of dramatic incidents like this must also force us to work on doing everything possible to guarantee accurate and frequent medical tests so that we may limit in every way the chance of this happening again.'

Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba has made remarkable progress since suffering a cardiac arrest during the FA Cup quarter-final at Tottenham four weeks ago, but Italian volleyball player Vigor Bovolenta died during a league game last month at the age of 37 following a heart attack.

Morosini's death has shocked the nation and the Italian Football Federation have cancelled all matches this weekend.

The Italian Olympic Committee have invited other federations to request a one-minute silence to be observed in memory of Morosini prior to any games taking place on Sunday.

Damiano Tommasi, president of the Italian Players' Union, has planned a meeting in the near future to discuss testing of players for heart-related problems.

'It is a tragedy that leaves us helpless and disarmed,' Tommasi said to www.assocalciatori.it. 'An event like this is inexplicable.

'We wait to find out more from the autopsy, but now the prevailing sensation is of sadness.

'We had a meeting planned on Monday, which has been postponed, but we will now organise a get-together to discuss this tragedy and the problems tied to ensuring the safety of players.

'If in professional divisions there are certain guarantees, tens of thousands of players in the amateur Leagues have very few scans.'

Italy already have a very advanced screening programme for heart problems in athletes but some believe that even with those precautions, tragedies cannot be avoided.

'The players are monitored every four or five months,' Lazio coach Edy Reja said. 'But tragedies can happen. It's life's destiny.'

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Serie A Strike Called Off

The Italian Players' Union (AIC) has called off a strike after reaching an agreement with Serie A's governing body over a collective contract.

A temporary deal has been signed which will expire at the end of the season.

The dispute has centred on two issues: the payment of a solidarity tax - the players have now agreed to pay this - and the fate of players forced to train on their own when dropped.

The resolution means the new Serie A season will start this weekend.

"It was worth having such a tough negotiation because the clubs have achieved much of what they wanted," said Serie A president Maurizio Beretta.

The first round of matches, scheduled to take place just over a week ago, were postponed.

The Serie A campaign will begin on Friday night, with champions AC Milan hosting Lazio.

The clubs had earlier rejected an Italian FA proposal to resolve the matter and the AIC remains unhappy about clubs trying to force players to move in the last year of their contracts.

But the temporary agreement is designed to allow the season to begin while the two parties continue to debate the major sticking points.

AIC president Damiano Tommasi said the players had compromised.

"We're going to play and I think that's thanks to the players for their good sense in these negotiations," he commented.

"If, as Beretta has said, the clubs have achieved a lot, then it means we won't have much to discuss for the new contract that will replace this bridging deal."