UNTOLD ARSENAL » Blog Archive » Arsenal players going to Milan are walking into minefield

In 2006 Italy faced a football scandal which saw four clubs punished – including Juve to whom Patrick Vieira was transferred.  Vieira won the championship with Juve, but then had his medals removed because the games had been fixed.   Milan were also found guilty.

That was big enough, but it was only part one.   Next we heard five Italian players were charged over further match fixing in the last season – showing that the problem remains and the clubs involved are being investigated.  It makes you wonder why Flamini and Ade want to go to Italy.

But still there is more – because a new investigation is happening into Luciano Moggi, the  Juventus director at the heart of the original match-fixing deal.   There is evidence that he is still involved in the game and others are about to be done for alleged criminal association.

OK you are saying, we know all that but Milan would have told Flamini and Ade that it was all clean and clear now.  Except that on 13 July a new story broke.  It broke quietly, hardly making the sports news at all – but if you looked on the international pages it was there.

The story is that Argentinian people are being sold false Italian passports to get them into the EU.  And these people all have the same job.  They are all footballers.

If this is proven to be true, coming on top of the other three scandals, it is clear that this time clubs are really going to be hit.   Points deductions for playing ineligible players (Italy has a limit on the number of non-EU players that they can have in a team) will be the start, and it will go on, and on, and on.

Just as poor Patrick found – you can go to Italy, you can even win the league, but quite often they don’t let you keep the medal.

Flamini is already suffering under the Curse of Arsenal through finding himself in a club that can’t play in the Champions League next year.  But that could be just the start of his problems.  And if Ade goes there, he could be stuck with the difficulties too.