The federal prosecutor officially opened an investigation to look into the bloated evaluations of players acquired through swap deals in recent years. He quickly followed up on the report by the independent authority Covisoc. It will last at least two months. Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian Football Association, pumped the breaks: “I am not worried about this matter. It is an issue we have been following for a long time because everybody was aware of it. Rather than an inquiry to really punish somebody, it is exploratory.”
“Covisoc, which we contacted several times, put together a series of elements that helped us understand the conditions of our system. Once they finished their probe, their shared their findings with us and the prosecutor, who will further examine them.”
According to the bylaws, the punishments could be harsh; however, the breaches have been hard to prove in the past. Gravina continued: “As you know, the usual problem concerns the subjective and objective evaluations of players. We know this is a slippery ground that is usually very difficult to police. But we can adopt some regulations that limit the impact of this practice in Italian football.”
Gravina also confirmed that Stadio Olimpico would have 100 percent capacity for Italy-Switzerland: “It is a great piece of news for all fans. It strengthens the message of hope for the entire country. The next step will be to have it in Serie A too. We are on the verge of reaching a very important goal.”