Gianluca Pessotto, Juventus official and ex-player
The Italian media is full of how Gianluca Pessotto, Juventus manager and a very good friend and ex-teammate of Italian captain, Fabio Cannavaro, tried to end his life falling from a window of the Juventus headquarters in Turin. Pessotto was hired to clean up Juventus reputation following allegations involving match fixing. If proved right then Juventus can be stripped of the Serie A title that they have won the last couple of years. The hearings were to begin in a few days. Three other clubs are also implicated in match fixing, Lazio, Fiorentina, and AC Milan. .
Pessotto also played for the Italian National squad in the 1998 World Cup. The news has left the present squad in a state of shock. Cannavaro cut his conference short after the Australia match when he was given the news. Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluca Zambrotta have fown back to Italy to be with their friend who is in a serious but stable condition following multiple fractures and internal bleeding. Pessotto visited the team while they were in Hamburg and he appeared to be in good spirits.
Gianluca Pessotto was supposed to play in the 2002 World Cup too but suffered an ACL tear of his right knee that sidelined him. He played in defence with team-mate Fabio Cannavaro and for Juventus for 11 years (1995- 2006) before injuries cut his career short and he was elevated to the position of Juventus manager.
The pressure on the Italian squad must be tremendous. They have to play on knowing that there is a danger of an implosion in Serie soccer that could involve most players and endanger their livelihood. Worse still is if any player in the present Italian squad is directly indicted. The present Italian squad has 13 players playing for clubs facing matchfixing allegations. With Pessotto’s attempted suicide, the tragedy has struck a deeply personal chord with many in the squad.