Luciano Moggi

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'Inter are still behind AC Milan' - Luciano Moggi

Despite losing to their bitter city rivals in the recent Trofeo TIM friendly tournament,

the former Juventus chief believes Massimiliano Allegri's side remain the team to beat.

Aug 19, 2011

Inter will have their work cut out for them in the coming season as AC Milan are still the standard bearers in Serie A, according to Luciano Moggi.

The former Juventus transfer director has predicted where the Milanese clubs will finish ahead of the new term.

"I can say Milan are still the team to beat," Moggi wrote in his Tuttomercatoweb.com column.

"From a quality point of view, Milan are in front of Inter. Gian Piero Gasperini's men need something more to reach Milan's level."

Inter won the Trofeo TIM friendly tournament in Bari on Thursday night by beating Juve and Milan.

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'Juventus failed to buy phenomenonal players' - Luciano Moggi

The former club transfer chief has said those who have arrived

are simply not good enough to pose any substantial threat for honours .

Aug 26, 2011

Luciano Moggi believes Juventus are not ready to undertake any title challenge this season because they failed to buy top-level players during the transfer window.

Players like Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, Emanuele Giaccherini, Mirko Vucinic, Reto Ziegler, and Stephan Lichtsteiner all arrived this summer.

But Moggi, a former transfer director at the club who landed Zinedine Zidane in 1996, believes those who arrived this year may not be good enough to mount a Scudetto fight.

"No phenomenal players arrived and so they will not win the league this year," Moggi wrote in his Tuttomercatoweb.com column.

"However, they did well to bring in the wingers they needed. It's a shame their quality is not of Juventus."

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Moggi tips Milan and blasts Inter

Sep 7, 2011

Luciano Moggi has tipped Milan to retain their Scudetto and Juventus to surprise, but

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Antonio Conte is the right man for Juventus - Luciano Moggi

The former general-manager believes that the Turin side's new coach can be successful

due to his intricate knowledge of the club from his time there as a player.

Sep 12, 2011

Luciano Moggi believes Juventus have appointed the right man in new head coach Antonio Conte.

The former general-manager maintains that Conte's understanding of the internal workings of the club from his time there as a player will help his players achieve success.

"One can already see Conte's hand at work; he is the right man with whom to restart," Moggi said, speaking in the programme Yesterday, Moggi, and tomorrow.

"If Juve follow him and if he succeeds in transmitting his Juventus DNA to his players, then the club can obtain even more at the end of the season."

And he also aimed special praise at the side for their victory against Parma on Sunday, while singling out Andrea Pirlo for his individual display.

"In the new stadium, Juventus won against Parma 4-1 in a match in which they were never in difficulty, illustrating already that it has a better midfield than last season mostly thanks to [Andrea] Pirlo's graft," he added.

"As of today I think Juventus should be fighting with Lazio for fourth place by the end of the season, thus bettering the position the side achieved last year."

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Moggi: Conte decisive, Inter confused

Sep 19, 2011

Luciano Moggi has offered his thoughts on the latest contrasting coaching situations at Juventus and Inter.

The former Juventus general manager reflected on his old club's start under Antonio Conte, citing the new Coach's influence in their progress.

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Moggi: 'I had a Milan deal'

Oct 8, 2011

Disgraced former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi reveals he had a deal to join Milan in 2006,

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Juventus should stay away from Carlos Tevez - Luciano Moggi

The former general director, who was once responsible for signing controversial stars in Turin,

has told the current crop of leaders at the club to forget about the Argentina star.

Oct 13, 2011

Luciano Moggi has warned his former club Juventus to steer clear of troubled Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez.

Tevez returned to training for City on Thursday as he awaits a club disciplinary hearing for a breach of contract after allegedly refusing to play for them during a Champions League match against Bayern Munich last month.

The 27-year-old has been linked with an exit from City at the next available opportunity and Juventus have been rumoured to be keen on landing him.

Giuseppe Marotta, the Italian club's general director, said they have not entered any negotiations with Tevez or City for a transfer on Wednesday.

Moggi believes the Serie A leaders should turn their back on the striker altogether.

"Buying a dressing room breaker like Carlos Tevez in January would be the biggest disaster ever that could hit Juventus who are in the process of rebuilding," Moggi wrote in his Tuttomercatoweb.com commentary column.

However, regardless of whether Tevez joins Juventus, Moggi went on to state that Antonio Conte's men are not strong enough to win the Scudetto this season.

"The quality of the squad is not enough to challenge AC Milan, Inter and Napoli for the title," added Moggi.

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Moggi hits out at Juventus over timing of Del Piero statement

The club's former general director has expressed his surprise that the Turin side

did not wait until the end of the season to announce the long-serving forward would be leaving.

Oct 19, 2011

Former Juventus director Luciano Moggi has voiced his opinion that the current Serie A leaders were wrong to announce Alessandro Del Piero's departure at this stage of the season.

The Turin side's president, Andrea Agnelli, revealed on Tuesday that the experienced attacker will leave the club at the end of the current campaign.

And Moggi feels that the announcement could have a negative effect on the 36-year-old.

"I don't really understand Agnelli's statement. I think it's quite dangerous as this could demotivate Alessandro. This was the wrong way to deal with a player who has done so much for the club," Moggi told Radio Mana Mana.

"I don't know who advised Agnelli on this matter, but they've made a mistake. It makes no sense to make this statement right now. They should have waited until March or April.

"Alessandro is still Juventus' best player in terms of technique, and he still causes any defence a lot of trouble. I'm convinced that he can still give a lot to Juventus."

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Luciano Moggi: I tried to sign Antonio Cassano

for Juventus in 2006 from Real Madrid

The ex-Bianconeri market mastermind hopes the Italy international can recover

from planned surgery as he admits there was a chance of signing him from the Spanish giants.

Nov 2, 2011

Former Juventus transfer director Luciano Moggi has revealed he tried to sign AC Milan's Antonio Cassano when he played for Real Madrid.

Cassano, 29, is currently waiting to undergo heart surgery following an illness he suffered at the weekend.

Moggi, who has always admired the Italy international, admits he wanted him at Juventus.

"Cassano is a player who I wanted to sign for Juventus in 2006 because I like people who have something extra, even though they are hard to control," Moggi told Radio Mana Mana Sport.

"Cassano is a great guy and is doing very well at Milan. We all know Cassano, but we hope that he can recover so he can continue doing well on the pitch."

The Italian forward is expected to be out of action for a few months, but a time frame for his return has not been specified by Milan.

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Moggi guilty in Calciopoli civil trial

Nov 8, 2011

The Naples Tribunal has ruled Luciano Moggi is guilty of sporting fraud and condemned to five years and four months.

This evening the Calciopoli civil trial came to a head with Judge Teresa Casoria giving her verdict.

Moggi had argued he was

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Luciano Moggi found guilty of sporting fraud

in Calciopoli scandal

Former Juventus director, as well the remaining leading troupe of the Calciopoli scandal,

have all been condemned for their actions.

Nov 8, 2011

The Tribunal of Naples has found Luciano Moggi guilty of sporting fraud and has sentenced the former Juventus general director to five years and four months in prison.

Moggi will not spend any time in jail, though, due to the intricacies of Italian law. Since this is a first-degree sentence, there are several levels of appeal which Moggi can utilise.

Former refereeing designators Paolo Bergamo and Pierluigi Pairetto have been sentenced to three years and eight months, and one year and 11 months respectively for their roles in the Calciopoli scandal, while Fiorentina owners Diego and Andrea Della Valle and Lazio president Claudio Lotito have all been condemned to one year and three months apiece.

"I absolutely did not expect this sentence," said Maurilio Prioreschi, one of Moggi's attorneys. "We have only lost the first round, we will try to turn the situation around in appeal.

"We will do everything until we have justice. Moggi is devastated, he does not understand how he has been given this sentence.

"We now have 90 days to know the grounds for the decision and prepare our defence for the appeal."

The 74-year-old Moggi had already been banned from football for life for his involvement in the organised action which involved a network of phone calls with former referees and designators as well as former FIGC (Italian Football Association) officials.

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Ibrahimovic: Luciano Moggi cried in front

of Juventus players due to Calciopoli

The Swedish striker has stressed that Juventus won their titles because of hard work

rather than by influencing referees, and revealed the former general director was devastated.

Nov 9, 2011

AC Milan attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed that former Juventus director Luciano Moggi cried in front of his players during a crisis meeting to discuss the Calciopoli scandal.

Moggi is seen as one of the main culprits in the case and was found guilty of sporting fraud by the Tribunal of Naples on Tuesday, and was consequently sentenced to five years and four months in prison.

Juventus were stripped of the 2004-05 and 2005-06 Serie A titles for their alleged involvement in Calciopoli and were also relegated to Serie B - a decision that came as huge blow to Moggi.

"The first time I met Moggi it was immediately clear that he was a powerful person. The way he dressed and behaved. He was a different person during that meeting, though. He stood there and started crying in front of us. That's what's impressed me most," Ibrahimovic reveals in his autobiography.

"It felt like a punch in the stomach. He had always looked strong and I had never seen him like that before. He had always radiated power and strength and seemed to be in control of what happened. I felt compassion for him when I saw him in that state."

The Sweden international also voiced his frustration with the decision to take Juventus' Scudetti away from them as he feels they won the trophies because of their hard work rather than due to help from referees.

"The Calciopoli scandal is all nonsense, in my opinion. At least the most of it is. We didn't win because referees did us favours. We won because we worked very hard and were the best. We always fought hard and didn't need any help. It's all bulls***."

Ibrahimovic also looks back at his time at Inter and feels the reason they won trophies after Calciopoli was that the different cliques in the squad were broken down.

"One of the first things I did after arriving at Inter was speak to [president] Massimo Moratti to say that the squad wasn't united. We had to break down the different clans.

"Teams perform at their best when there's cohesion, but the opposite was the case at Inter. Breaking down the various cliques was the biggest challenge. It's impossible to win anything if the dressing room isn't united."

The AC Milan striker's autobiography goes on sale on Friday, but the book has already made several headlines as a result of leaked excerpts.

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Moggi: "I'm a scapegoat"

Nov 9, 2011

Luciano Moggi claims he is

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Moggi gets jail sentence over match-fixing

Nov 9, 2011

NAPLES, Italy - Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi was sentenced to five years and four months in jail on Tuesday for his role in the match-fixing case which led to the club being demoted and stripped of their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles.

Moggi, already banned from football for life, was found guilty of sporting fraud and conspiracy by an Italian court in the criminal trial linked to the affair.

Fiorentina owners and brothers Andrea and Diego Della Valle and Lazio president Claudio Lotito were sentenced to 15 months and fined 25,000 euros ($34,600) each.

Former referee selector Paolo Bergamo was sentenced to three years and eight months and his colleague Pierluigi Pairetto to one year and 11 months.

Prosecutors in Naples, who had been investigating the case, had asked for five years and eight months for Moggi. His lawyer said he would appeal.

Moggi, who was not in court, has already been convicted of trying to manipulate the transfer market via a management agency in a separate criminal trial but has never served his one-year term.

The defendants are unlikely to spend time in jail due to Italy's lengthy appeals process and the reluctance of judges to imprison offenders for non-violent crimes.

Juventus spent a season in Serie B after the scandal. They won promotion at the first attempt but have never since reached their former heights although they are unbeaten this season.

The 2005 scudetto was not re-awarded and Inter Milan were declared champions for 2006.

Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were also docked points after being found guilty alongside Juventus of influencing the appointment of referees in the so-called Calciopoli scandal.

Earlier this year, Juventus called for Inter's title to be revoked following allegations that they were also involved in the scandal. However, the Italian federation ruled it did not have the power to revoke the decision and Inter were confirmed as champions.

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Luciano Moggi to appeal prison term

Juventus statement causes stir

Nov 10, 2011

Former Juventus general director Luciano Moggi has announced he will appeal against his sentence.

Moggi was on Tuesday found guilty of criminal association aimed at committing sports fraud by a civil court in Naples.

The 74-year-old was punished to five years and four months in prison for his role in the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italy five years ago.

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Luciano Moggi: I will continue my fight for Calciopoli justice

The former Bianconeri transfer chief insists he has not done anything wrong,

despite being handed a suspended jail sentence as he gets ready to appeal the guilty verdict.

Nov 11, 2011

Luciano Moggi has vowed to fight on in his battle to clear his name after being convicted of sporting fraud during his time as a Juventus director.

The Tribunal of Naples sentenced Moggi to five years and four months in prison this week, though he will not yet spend time in a cell as he will appeal the verdict of the 'Calciopoli 2' trial.

Moggi insists he has never committed any fraud or illegality and said he will continue his fight for justice.

"I have never done any thing wrong or committed any sporting fraud," Moggi wrote in his Tuttomercatoweb.com column.

"However, this sentence has pushed me to fight on. I am convinced I have been accused of something that I did not do.

"I will have faith in justice and will pursue this in every form.

"This is football, the road is hard and difficult, but I am not afraid."

Following the trial, Juventus released a statement claiming the outcome had proved they were not guilty of any wrongdoing.

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Whats in a name? Luciano Moggi demonstrates

Nov 13, 2011

When Luciano Moggi attended this year

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Krasic criticised by Moggi

Nov 23, 2011

Former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi has blasted the ability of Milos Krasic. “He’s only got Pavel Nedved’s hair.”

The Serbian winger arrived in Turin in 2010 and his early form saw him compared to club legend Nedved.

However, Krasic has struggled in 2011 and he’s recently been dropped from the first team by boss Antonio Conte.

“People didn’t know what they were talking about when they said he was like Nedved,” Moggi told Radio Mana Mana.

“They just have the same hair…

“He’s a player who always makes the same decisions. He’s tactically broken and he can’t be relied on to support the side’s offensive manoeuvres.

“He doesn’t sync with the team’s movements, when he gets the ball he just keeps it and when he passes he often gets it wrong.

“His performances in Italy demonstrate as much, but it was clear from his displays in Russia that he was that kind of player.”

Krasic, signed for €15.5m from CSKA Moscow, has been linked with a possible January exit – even if current Juve dg Beppe Marotta today suggested he is going nowhere.

“If Krasic leaves Italy then nobody will start crying at Juventus,” added Moggi. “The balance sheet will though.

“The problem is that the player cost €15m and he’s not worth that. That was a mistake by the club which will damage them financially.”

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Luciano Moggi: Inter are a team in disarray & are no longer

benefitting from Calciopoli scandal

The former Juventus chief feels that the Nerazzurri are past their best, and has stated

that Luis Figo could become the club's new coach with Claudio Ranieri under pressure.

Mar 6, 2012

Former Juventus director Luciano Moggi has voiced his opinion that Inter's dominance is something of the past with the Giuseppe Meazza outfit no longer able to take advantage of the consequences of Calciopoli.

The Nerazzurri won five consecutive Serie A titles from 2006 until 2010, but have been struggling to find their best form this term as they sit seventh in the table.

"The Nerazzurri are a team in disarray. They no longer benefit from the Calciopoli affair," Moggi was quoted as saying by Gold TV.

Moggi then went on to discuss the position of head coach Claudio Ranieri at Inter, and stated his belief that former Portugal international Luis Figo is on the verge of replacing the trainer.

"Ranieri? Figo is edging closer and closer to the position of head coach at Inter."

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Luciano Moggi: Inter offered me a contract before Calciopoli

The former Bianconeri chief has insisted that he had the chance to work at the San Siro

outfit before the football scandal and dared Moratti to look at the contract he still owns.

Mar 25, 2012

Ahead of tonight's Derby d'Italia in Turin, former Juventus director Luciano Moggi has repeated the claim that he was offered a position at Inter prior to the Calciopoli scandal.

The 74-year-old has said on numerous occasions that Inter president Massimo Moratti presented him with the chance to become the club's general manager before Calciopoli erupted in 2006, allegations which the Nerazzurri supremo has always denied.

"Moratti said he never thought about me as a director for Inter?," pondered Moggi to Il Giorno.

"He talks through the media, if he feels the need to say so, I will invite him to meet me and I will ask him if he can recognise his signature from the three-year contract."

Inter won five consecutive Scudetti from 2006 to 2010 (the first of these awarded through the courts after Juventus were stripped of two titles and relegated), but have struggled this season and lie in seventh position in the Serie A table.

Prior to that successful period the Nerazzurri had not won the league since 1989, and Moggi has blamed the title drought on the club's raw material.

"They did not win because they bought bad players," Moggi blasted.

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Lazio’s Hernanes not worth €30m

Mar 28, 2012

Former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi has warned the Old Lady of making a move for Lazio midfielder Hernanes.

The Brazilian international has been paired with the Turin giants in recent weeks, but the ex-transfer guru is not convinced.

“Hernanes is not worth €30m,” Moggi said in an interview with Radio Mana Mana Sport on Wednesday afternoon.

“He still has to prove himself. Sometimes he does good things, but then the light goes out and you don’t see him.

“He’s too inconsistent.”

Some reports were claiming that Juve could tempt Lazio into releasing him by offering cash, as well as the services of Milos Krasic and Fabio Quagliarella.

“That seems to be fantasy,” Moggi continued. “If there was any truth in that then Juventus would be crazy…”

Moggi left Juventus in the summer of 2006, just before he was banned from the game for his involvement in Calciopoli.

Hernanes, 26, has scored eight goals in 27 League games so far this season.

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Moggi loses latest appeal

Apr 4, 2012

The Italian Olympic Committee have confirmed Luciano Moggi’s lifetime ban from any involvement in football.

Former Juventus director Moggi, punished for his involvement in the 2006 Calciopoli sporting trial, had tried to get that suspension overturned.

However, CONI’s high court has confirmed his ban, as well as those handed to ex-Juve official Antonio Giraudo and former FIGC Vice-President Innocenzo Mazzini.

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Moggi: 'Del Piero exit a mistake'

Apr 18, 2012

Luciano Moggi has warned Juventus “it would be a mistake” to let Alessandro Del Piero leave and the Scudetto is not won yet.

The captain’s contract expires at the end of the season and the club has so far resisted pressure to give him an extension.

“It’s true that Alex is not the player he once was, but he is always decisive, as he proved in recent games,” former Juve director general Moggi told RadioCalciomercato.

“The figures speak for themselves. I also know Alex as a person and can assure you we are talking about a great man. Del Piero would still be very useful for Juventus, even if used only occasionally. It would be a mistake to let him go.

“He can have a future as a director in Turin, but I want to point out he still has a few years left in his legs and could be like Jose Altafini, who was often decisive coming off the bench.

“The Juve directors have to understand if the player can still give his contribution to the Bianconeri cause.”

Juventus are top of the table with a one-point lead over Milan, but Moggi warns there are still quite a few potential slip-ups along the way.

“It’s not just Roma who are on their road to the Scudetto. Lecce, for example, play the best football in Italy right now and could really torture Antonio Conte’s side in a few weeks.

“They also need to watch out for Cesena’s new-found defensive solidity. In qualitative terms the Juve squad is not exceptional, but they are superb when it comes to determination and grit.”

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I'd nail Juventus' third golden star to Moratti's head, says Moggi

The man at the centre of the refereeing scandal that rocked Italian football

in 2006 maintains that the Bianconeri were wrongly stripped of two Scudetti.

May 9, 2012

Former Juventus director Luciano Moggi has weighed into the increasingly heated debate over the club's '30th' Scudetto success, claiming that he would nail the controversial third golden star to Inter president Massimo Moratti's forehead.

The Bianconeri have sparked outrage among many of their rivals by revealing that they intend to sew a third star onto their jerseys in honour of what they feel is their 30th Serie A title, even though they were stripped of two Scudetti because of their alleged involvement in 'Calciopoli'.

However, the man at the centre of that scandal, Moggi, feels that Juve are perfectly entitled to add another star above their crest and dismissed the concerns of Moratti, who earlier this week urged the Turin club not to stir up any more controversy.

“Of course Juventus ought to put the third star on their jerseys,” Moggi told Radio 24. “If it were up to me, I’d nail it to Moratti’s forehead!"

Moggi, who resigned from his position at the end of the 2005-06 season, then claimed some credit for the Old Lady's latest league triumph.

“I’m still in contact with president Andrea Agnelli and we spoke after the Scudetto win," he revealed.

"He learned how to be a director from me and Antonio Giraudo. We taught him well.”

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Moggi: 'Nail star to Moratti's head!'

May 9, 2012

Luciano Moggi has a novel idea on where Juventus can put the third golden star. “I’d nail it to Massimo Moratti’s forehead.”

A row is erupting between Juve and the football authorities, as the club considers this to be their 30th Scudetto, counting the two that were stripped in the Calciopoli trial of 2006.

“Of course Juventus ought to put the third star on their jerseys,” said Moggi on Radio 24, referring to the tradition of a golden star depicting each 10 titles.

“If it were up to me, I’d nail it to Moratti’s forehead.”

Inter President Moratti insists the 2005-06 Scudetto stripped from Juventus and handed to the Nerazzurri was deserved, even with the emergence of fresh evidence.

Moggi was the director general at the time of the Calciopoli incidents and generally considered to be the main figure in the scandal.

“Of course I’m still in contact with President Andrea Agnelli and we spoke after the Scudetto. He learned how to be a director from me and Antonio Giraudo. We taught him well.”