Thread by @ExJohnHonestyy

Up until #BarcaGate , MoggiGate, a.k.a. "#Calciopoli", was the biggest corruption scandal in football history.

Below is a thread about Calciopoli to help you understand better BOTH scandals, show you the striking identicalities between them and what to expect.

(A THREAD):

As everyone knows, Italy lives for Calcio (football).

It is a fundamental part of many if not every Italian person's life. And the same goes for Spain, to a certain extent.

When Pino Narducci (Napoli's public prosecutor at the time) received information from his sources about corruption happening in the highest level of Italian football, the Serie A, he never thought it would lead to arguably the biggest scandal in football history.

It is no secret that referees have ENORMOUS power to shape the entire outcome of football games, and even entire seasons.

Unfortunately, power captivates and corrupts. Narducci got indications that Juventus, was at the centre of the corruption he was informed about.

He also knew that the investigation would be very difficult, because football was a big part of the Italian economy, and this investigation was targeting one of, if not the biggest club in Italy.

But Pino always believed that justice precedes anything and everything.

Juventus came into 2004/2005 season in very bad shape, having lost the Serie A title to AC Milan the season before, trophyless, and with a lot of doubts.

Luciano Moggi, who was Juve's sporting director at the time, knew he had to do something to change the situation.

So he signed Capello and Ibrahimovic, and a few others who time will reveal their identities...

To put it simply, Moggi knew Juve had no choice but to win the Scudetto.

While Pino Narducci and Attilio Auricchio were secretly leading the investigation behind the scenes, Juve start the season with 14 wins in 14 games, and every 50/50 refereeing decision was seemingly going their way.

Pino and Attilio, watching the Juve games unfold in such blatant manner, were now 95% sure something was really going on behind the scenes. Especially in an away game against Sampdoria where the referee whistled a ghost penalty to Juve when they couldn't find a way to score.

Referees have a lot of power over a game.

When Moggi was asked about the refereeing during this time, he famously replied:

"Juventus does a everything by the book. Everyone hates winners. Juventus doesn't cheat, it seems that others do."

And if you only knew...

Pino/Attilio were aware they only needed proof that the refereeing was adulterated/influenced. They didn't need to prove that Moggi actually paid a referee as an individual, because ANY type of influence to what's supposed to be an equal game is enough to be considered a crime.

Then comes the Reggiana - Juventus game, where the referee Gianluca Paparesta and his assistant referee Aniello Di Mauro, ruled out a late Juventus winner for offside.

Few days later, Di Mauro was dropped to referee games in Serie B, and Paparesta was suspended for many games.

Pino found out about conversations of Paolo Bergamo (Head of the referee committee, exact position Negreira occupied when he was made a millionaire by Barca) and Paparesta, where he furiously asks him why he cancelled that Juventus goal, and how it shouldn't have happened.

At this point, Pino/Attilio realized even more how corrupt the situation is, and how the power of this "system" was unchecked.

They noticed the pattern, and how when referees like Paparesta didn't "obey", they were punished. And vice versa.

They also realized that Moggi was aware how controlling public opinion was crucial to his system.

They found out that he hired Aldo Biscardi, a big TV personality, to make a huge show (Processo di Biscardi) where he would brainwash the masses with pro-Juve anti-rest narratives.

The show had directions by Moggi to "protect" Juve's irregularities and blame the others instead.

Paparesta was butchered on the show by Biscardi after the Reggina game for example. It was a weapon and tool for pressure. Paparesta even said how much he suffered because of it.

Moggi was a very smart man, maybe the smartest. But even the smartest people make mistakes. Everywhere he went, there was scandals.

We see the same theme with Barca presidents (Gaspart, Rosell, Bartomeu all going in and out of prisons for numerous reasons).

After investigations, Pino/Attilio, understood that Paolo-Pairetto, heads of the referee committee ("Italian Negreiras" in this case) were responsible for promoting, downgrading and appointing referees.

They also managed to prove their direct relationship with Moggi.

This was enough to charge and prosecute Moggi for corruption and criminal activity, since it is a form of "doping" the competition and goes against the ethics and rules of a fair competition.

Not just that, but a few weeks later, they tracked a conversation between Moggi and Bergamo, where Moggi gives Bergamo a list of 3 referees to be selected Juve's next game, knowing they normally give them favorable calls (Bertini, Rodomonti, Racalbuto)

"Here are the referees I put in this grid. Bertini, Rodomonti, Racalbuto. All work for me".

Moggi had no need to pay referees or to have direct contact with them. Everything was done indirectly, via a facilitator, who was the "Italian Negreira" in this case.

Realizing Moggi influenced refereeing selections, a whole new world opened to justice and Pino. As Pino said, this was one of the biggest peaces of irrefutable evidence.

"Moggi's secret system wasn't a myth anymore. It was real. We were dealing with an organized group." - Pino

They have now fully deciphered "the Moggi system":

1) Referee appointment and selection influence
2) Referee punishment and downgrade influence, pressure
3) Controlling the media, hence the minds of the people and the narrative.

Which is a system those in Spain are pretty familiar with. A system that completely and identically fits the Negreira system in Spain, which was not only active for a couple of season, but for entire decades, passing down from president to president with FC Barcelona.

In the end, as you know,Moggi got caught, and Juventus were eventually stripped of their two Scudetti titles of 2005 and 2006, relegated to Serie B and made an example of. Going through Calciopoli, you can't help but be mesmerized at its carbon copied elements with #BarcaGate .

But as Pipo said in the end, when he walked out of that court, "Truth always wins".

No matter how smart you are, how strong you are, you will make a mistake. With Barca, a small tax problem with the tax authorities of Catalunya ended up unraveling all their corrupt practices.

Likes and RTs highly appreciated.

Will be posting more interesting stuff that expose the biggest scandal in Spanish football history, and exposing the scandalous and corrupt #NegreiraGate system that ravaged Spanish football and its integrity.