Fri, Apr 25, 2008 page23

• Soccer Shorts

  • AGENCIES
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  ■ ITALY

  Moggi facing more charges

  Juventus’ former general manager Luciano Moggi and match officials have been charged in the second part of a probe into the 2006 match-fixing scandal, Italy’s soccer federation (FIGC) said on Wednesday. Moggi had already been banned from soccer for five years after the first part of the probe for leading attempts to secure compliant referees for some teams’ games. He is now accused of giving foreign mobile telephone SIM cards to match officials to create a secret system of communication with them, the FIGC said on its Web site. Moggi is also accused of breaking FIGC rules by carrying out the functions of a club director for Messina, a second division side who were in the top flight when the scandal broke, while he was also a senior executive of Juventus.

  ■ SPAIN

  Gurpegui to play in Madrid

  Athletic Bilbao’s Carlos Gurpegui returns to Spanish league action at Real Madrid on Sunday following a two-year suspension for doping. Athletic coach Joaquin Caparros said the 27-year-old midfielder would be in the starting line-up at the Santiago-Bernabeu Stadium. Spanish sporting authorities punished Gurpegui with a two-year ban after he tested positive for the steroid nandrolone at the Basque derby against Real Sociedad in the first league fixture of the 2002-2003 season. However, because of the legal fight put up by the club and the player over his innocence, he continued to play until he was finally suspended in 2006.

  ■ PERU

  Pizarro asked to quit lawsuit

  Peru striker Claudio Pizarro, banned by his country for 18 months for indiscipline, has been asked by FIFA to withdraw a lawsuit he has taken out against the Peruvian federation over his suspension. Pizarro’s agent Carlos Delgado said in a radio interview that soccer’s governing body wanted the Chelsea player to keep his case to the sporting tribunals. “We asked the player Pizarro to immediately withdraw his case from the civil courts and use the sporting tribunals,” Delgado quoted from the letter. “We remind all the parties involved that if one of them is not satisfied with the final decision, they have the option of turning to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).” Pizarro was banned along with Jefferson Farfan, Andres Mendoza and Santiago Acasiete for alleged incidents at the team hotel following a World Cup qualifier with Brazil in November.

  ■ SOUTH KOREA

  Coach makes Park promise

  South Korea have promised they will not overwork Manchester United’s Park Ji-sung at this year’s Beijing Olympics soccer tournament. The South Koreans plan to call the United midfielder up for the Aug. 8 to Aug. 24 Games, but the player’s progress in China is likely to be closely monitored by the English Premier League club. “Of course, we need to think about the possibilities of overworking Park,” South Korea coach Park Sung-hwa told reporters on yesterday. “But by May the leagues will be over in Europe, so there should not be too much of a problem in him joining the team.”

  ■ ENGLAND

  O’Neill wins libel case

  Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill accepted libel damages on Wednesday from a soccer gossip Web site that claimed he made an illegal approach for a player. The 365 Media Group said last April that the former Celtic manager had attempted to induce Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc from the Scottish club. The site paid an undisclosed amount in damages and published an apology.
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