May 16, 2006
The Italian soccer scandal
The soccer scandal engulfing Juventus, Italy's finest team, will come as no great shock to anyone who has read 
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe Mcginniss.
If memory serves, the plucky Castel di Sangro team throws a game to help another team advance to a higher league in exchange for money. The fixing is open -- the owner comes to the fixed game to supervise matters and fixes his beady eyes on the players. The Castel goalkeeper flubs easy saves, and the Castel midfielders open with a pass to their opponent.
Now we just have word that this happens at higher levels in Serie A, Italy's top soccer league. The allegations include goal-fixing, illegal betting and even a kidnapping.
As Lamont e-mailed me --
Surprise, Surprise!! Italian Serie A hit by a huge scandal. 4 Clubs (Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorantina, all demoted at least once since 1980 for cheating and corruption, and Lazio Mussolini's favorite club) involved, Referees involved, players involved!!! If only the U.S. could play THEM first and not Czech Rep.
As Lamont points out, the United States plays Italy in its World Cup group, so the scandal has implications for our team, especially if the Italian national team, or individual players under investigation, is either demoralized, distracted, or conversely fired up, as a result of this scandal.
You can read details on EPSN.com or at the Washington Post.
***
Here are some of Lamont's predictions for the United States in the World Cup:
Model #1. The 1990 world cup model
Has anyone bothered to notice that our group is almost the same as 1990 (Czechoslovakia, Italy , Austria) First of all its a bit suspect that we got nearly the same grouping again 16 years later, what are the chances. Second, we are much improved and our opponents are comparatively weaker, ie the Italians are NOT the home team and the Czechs are without the Slovaks. In theory the Austrians faced tougher opposition to qualify than the Ghanaians did. Ghana has not done well since qualifying.
The results?
Based on 1990... back then we lost 5-0, the Czechs who like most smaller European teams that peak in the Euro will dissappoint at the world Cup may win 1-0.
Italy scraped by with a 1-0 win way back then will lose 1-0 or 2-1 as the U.S. is better suited to defeat shorter Latin/style teams.
Ghana will play brilliantly for 70 minutes, then collapse allowing 2-3 goals.
We top our group, and make it to the Semi-finals for the first time.
Mexico will make an early exit leading to large riots in Mexico. In Los Angeles another day without and Immigrant is declared in resentment at the results. NBA replaces soccer as the top sport south of the border.
Model #2. The 2002 World Cup model:
In spite of our lofty position in the world rankings, the U.S. still has no respect as a soccer power. Following the pattern of 2002, Czech, like the arrogant Portuguese, will get the surprise of their life when McBride, Johnson and Lewis score on them. An own goal by Frankie Hejuk or Ben Olsen will make it look closer.
We will have a close tie with the Italians who will complain that they were cheated out of every offside shot they put into our net, they threaten to boycott future FIFA events (but change their minds when the world lets out a celebratory cheer).
Then Ghana, yet to win a game, will rip us a new one, beating us 3-0. We will only get to face Brazil when doesn't agree to ta gentlemen's draw (right, now you know I'm dreaming) and elimiunates Czech. Brazil beats us 1-0 in the second round having gotten away with a hand-ball on the line.
(Another favorable model the U.S. Brazil July 4th, 1994-if only Ernie Stewart had a left foot we'd have won 2-1. So using that model, U.S. wins 2-1 but Landon Donovan is hospitalized with a head injury)
No need for a model, I expect this...
The U.S. will play to the jeers and whistles of home crowds except for the game against Ghana where legions of right-wing Europeans in anger at middle eastern Muslims will make ape noises at confused West Africans.
Model #3, The "I hope its not 1998" model.
Czech will beat us 1-0 like our preveious overrated Balkan opponents (Yugoslavia), Italy will win and Ghana will sneak by us 2-1. McBride will get our only goal and Arena will be fired when the disgraced team returns. MLS attendence will drop and ESPN reporters will openly dance in glee as they can ignore U.S. soccer for yet another 4 years.
jeannette----
Yes, the corruption goes up and down the Italian ladder.
Same publisher who brought out "Miracle of Castel di Sangro"
in Italy did another book at the same time: "Lucky Luciano"
all about Moggi's fixes and Mafia ties. Nobody paid any attention to either because it was not what Italians wanted to hear. Of note in the current--and still erupting--scandal is that my old friend Gabriele Gravina, ex-president of Castel di Sangro and now "consigliere" to the calcio Federation, has been implicated. At the least, he was a conduit for Moggi's payments--and threats--to those targeted.