THE bribes case against Marseille is crumbling, with two key witnesses
retracting statements implicating the deposed French champions.
Marseille player Jean Jacques Eydelie, who alleged he was given
#33,000 to bribe an opponent with Valenciennes to fix a league match on
the run-in to the championship last season, has changed his tune.
So, too, has Valenciennes' president, Michel Coancas, who is now
maintaining that he knew there had been an attempt at match-rigging but
never at any time linked Marseille owner Bernard Tapie with the scandal.
This leaves only former Valenciennes coach Boro Primorac as a witness
for the prosecution. If the case does not proceed through the courts,
the consequences for the world's two governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA,
could be both embarrassing and costly.
Marseille were ejected from the Champions' Cup and replaced by AS
Monaco after a specially convened meeting between them last September.
Threats were also made to ban France from international competition
unless action was forthcoming.
The French FA refused to act, insisting that a miscarriage of justice
could occur if they pre-empted police inquiries into the charges of
corruption.
Veteran German striker Rudi Voeller faces a disciplinary hearing in
Paris for critising the FFA.
''The FFA are cowards. If they really thought this club acted wrongly
they would have done something about it before now,'' he said. ''Any
sanctions they take would be a joke.''
Real damage could be done by Monsieur Tapie. If there is no case to
answer, it is being hinted at the Stade Velodrome that he will sue FIFA
and UEFA for the money lost by being banned from Europe.
* MARSEILLE'S Brazilian striker Anderson da Silva, who is on loan from
Servette, has the distinction of being among the top four scorers in
both France and Switzerland.
The 23-year-old scored 11 goals for Servette before moving to France
last autumn and has claimed another dozen for Marseille.
His prolific strike rate will earn him a #3m move to Juventus next
season. A pre-contract has already been agreed, but it will not earn him
a call up to his country's World Cup campaign.
Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Pereira explained: ''More players than da
Silva will shed tears when my final plans are known. I could field an
entire team of strikers in America.
''Talents like Romario, Bebeto, and Muller took us to the finals and
they can make us World Champions.''
* PRESSURE is mounting on Silvio Berlusconi to step down as chairman
of AC Milan following the success of his right-wing Forza Italia party
in last week's elections.
Berlusconi may emerge as his country's political leader but after last
week's goalless draw with Anderlecht in the Champions' League, FIFA
president Joao Havelange told him: ''You must give up the presidency of
Milan. Football and politics do not mix.''
For his part, Berlusconi has no intention of selling Milan, which has
provided such a successful vehicle for his political ambitions.
* OTTAVIO Bianchi, former coach at AS Roma and Napoli, has taken over
at trouble-torn Inter-Milan. His first decision last week was to reject
an approach from Iwata Jubilo to take Salvatore ''Toto'' Schillaci to
Japan.
* MARLON Brandao was a star with nine of his team-mates at Real
Valladolid last week. He correctly forecast 15 results in the Spanish
fixtures, including a goal-less draw between Valladolid and Deportivo la
Coruna, to net a #180,000 pools win.
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