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Eng coach Capello in court
31/03/2008 16:00 - (SA)
Rome - England coach Fabio Capello told
a court on Monday he never dealt with player contracts while in
Italy and never heard of players being put under pressure to
sign specific agreements.
Capello was a witness in the trial of six men accused of
fostering unfair competition through the use of threats or
violence as part of the Gea World sports agency, which used to
manage the careers of several Italian footballers and coaches.
Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, also at the
centre of Italy's 2006 match-fixing affair, and Davide Lippi,
son of former Italy coach Marcello, are among the defendants.
Capello worked under Moggi at Juventus from 2004-2006 but it
was his time in charge of Roma between 1999 and 2004 which most
interested the court.
"I have never heard about players being put under pressure
or of incidents relating to the players' contracts," Capello
said during over an hour's testimony. "At Roma and then at
Juventus when I was boss, I only dealt with coaching decisions."
Asked about an interview he gave to newspaper Corriere dello
Sport about Gea and their potential monopoly of players, Capello
said: "I did that interview because I thought it was right to do
something for Roma. I knew about Gea, I knew that many players
were gravitating towards that company."
Franco Baldini, Capello's assistant with England and former
sporting director at Roma, gave evidence earlier. Moggi had to
be warned by the judge after gesturing towards Baldini while he
was on the stand.
Marcello Lippi, who steered Italy to their 2006 World Cup
triumph, is likely to appear as a witness on Tuesday.
Juventus's France forward David Trezeguet gave testimony at
the trial last month with several other leading Italian football
personalities set to give evidence.
- Reuters
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