By Terry Daley
ROME, April 21 (Reuters) – Juventus manager Antonio Conte
has hit out at allegations he knew about match-fixing while he
was in charge of Siena last season and has suggested that
outside forces are trying to “destabilise” his Serie A leaders.
“I don’t have much to say. I’ve read that there’s an
investigation, I’m very calm and I have faith in the
institutions, who are just trying to do their jobs,” he told a
news conference on Saturday ahead of Juve’s clash with AS Roma
on Sunday (1845 GMT).
“No one has called me, but when and if they do, it will be
my pleasure to see them and answer their questions.
“If anyone is looking to destabilise us, they’ll find it
hard to do. It will only make us more determined.”
Several Italian newspapers – including the Gazzetta Dello
Sport and La Repubblica – reported on Saturday that Conte knew
about the alleged rigging of last season’s Serie B match between
Novara and Siena, which finished 2-2.
Reports said former Siena midfielder Filippo Carobbio, who
played under Conte, told investigators that after the players
agreed to fix the match they went to their manager to inform
him.
Conte is not under investigation but several Siena matches
that took place during his reign are part of a wide-ranging
probe across the leagues into Italy’s latest soccer corruption
scandal.
His Juventus side, who are unbeaten in Serie A so far this
season, have a one-point lead over AC Milan with six games to go
as they chase their first scudetto since a 2006 demotion for
match-fixing.
(Editing by Mark Meadows;
mark.meadows@thomsonreuters.com
;
+44 207 542 7933; Twitter: @mark_meadows; Reuters Messaging:
mark.meadows.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net; For
the sports blog Left Field: http://blogs.reuters.com/sport))
