SEBA'S PASSPORT SAGA

Last updated : 03 July 2002 By Editor

Veron has already been cleared by the Italian sports justice system but he still has to be cleared by the legal justice system; he is not expected to attend the hearing in Rome on July 12.

Veron's lawyer Marcello Petrelli said: "I can confirm that Juan Sebastian Veron has been accused of forging an official document. But I would like to point out that Veron maintains that he did not have anything to do with this, that it was Lazio and an Argentinian agency who deals with the documents that were involved in this affair. Veron does not need the Italian citizenship as he is a world-class player and with his Argentina passport he has always been able to play at any club. He never went to pick up the Italian passport, but he did go and sign for the Italian citizenship in September 2000."

Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti has also been called to explain his role in obtaining the passports at a hearing on October 17.

'Sergio Cragnotti is not worried because he was not involved in this issue with the exception that he authorised a payment to be made to an Argentinian who organised the papers regarding the Veron documents from Argentina, but he did not know that those documents may have been forged,' explained the lawyers.