Juventus president denies involvement in mafia ticket sales scandal

Under fire for alleged ties between five-time defending Scudetto champ Juventus and mafia involvement in ticket sales, club president Andrea Agnelli has declared his innocence.

On Monday, Agnelli was named in an investigation by the Italian Football Association (FIGC), with prosecutors looking into reported ties between the club and the mafia's role in ticket sales for Juventus matches.

According to the FIGC's investigation, the Calabrian-based 'Ndrangheta mafia has been working in cooperation with the club touting tickets for matches at the Juventus Stadium, courtesy of ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell.

FIGC prosecutors have compiled 5,000 pages on the 'Ndrangheta's infiltration in Turin, linking the organised crime group with Agnelli.

Considering the Calciopoli scandal of 2006 that witnessed Juventus relegated to Serie B for match-fixing in conjunction with Italian referees, Agnelli was understandably quick to refute the latest defamation of the record 32-time Italian champ.

"With respect for the investigating organisations and the judges, I would like to remind people that I have NEVER met with mafia bosses. What I am reading is FALSE," Agnelli posted Tuesday on Twitter.

FIGC prosecutor Giuseppe Pecoraro sees things differently, with the ANSA News Agency claiming that the football association representative has proof "that Saverio Dominello (of 'Ndrangheta) and his son, Rocco, are represented in Turin by Belloco Pesce di Rosarno, and that Rocco Dominello has a relationship with Juventus management for the management of tickets and season tickets."

According to the FIGC's dossier, Agnelli denied reports of a meeting between he and Rocco Dominello in a recorded telephone conversation between him and another member of the club's hierarchy.

"I will now evaluate this carefully and then I will take a decision with my colleagues," Pecoraro told ANSA. "I have only spoken about contacts, not of relationships."