Keep Laughing Buddy

Estudiantes de la Plata captain, Juan Sebastian Veron, is among those who risk jail time for their part in an Italian passport scandal. A Rome court is asking for a sentence of two years and six months for Veron, two years for ex-Lazio President Sergio Cragnotti, and two years for ex-Lazio director of sport Nello Governato.

In all, ten people are facing sentences in the trial, including: Veron’s agents Gustavo Mascardi and Francisco Hidalgo received two-year requests and three for Buenos Aires lawyer Maria Elena Tedaldi. The only figure cleared of all charges was Ilario Camagnani, an Argentine representative of a lBuenos Aires legal firm.

The trial into the incident, when Veron was found to have acquired Italian citizenship through a fictitious relative, has been going on since 1999 and today the public prosecutor made her case. Judge Bruno Costantini is set to hear the defence on January 12, 2007, and it’s possible the verdict will be given on the same day. Opinions from legal experts range from no jail time to a possibility of a whole heap of trouble for La Brujita. [CNN]

In other Argentina news:

• Fernando Gago's representative, Marcelo Lombilla, tells us how he feels about the ongoing negotiations: "You can't tell [Real] Madrid no if they want to buy Gago now. [Boca Juniors president] Mauricio Macri has to understand this. This is an offer that is impossible to reject and Boca's president can't get in the way of a player's career." [Diaro AS]
• Tell us what you really think. [Daily Mirror]
• Roberto Ayala will miss Valencia's trip to Roma on Tuesday. [UEFA official site]
• Really, please, I'll do anything, but don't make me wear that shirt. [ESPN Soccernet]
• Nicolas Burdisso lands on the scoresheet for the first time in Italy. [Channel 4]
• Esteban Cambiasso is set to return tomorrow. [ANSA]
• Everyone should be able to play in a World Cup. [The Offside]

-ac