Juventus dismiss claims Arturo Vidal was involved in match-fixing during win against Cesena
The Old Lady have released a statement backing the Chile international, who is alleged to have colluded with Seahorses defender Guillermo Rodriguez before his penalty
Jan 17, 2012 2:15:00 PM
By Livio Caferoglu
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Juventus have dismissed reports suggesting Arturo Vidal could have been involved in a match-fixing scheme with Cesena's Guillermo Rodriguez earlier this season.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZPezUN9cJBA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
The Uruguayan defender replaced Francesco Antonioli in goal after the shot-stopper was sent off prior to Vidal's penalty kick during the Old Lady's win in December, and then appeared to have nodded in the direction to which he would dive. Vidal's shot to the opposite side wrapped up the 2-0 victory.
"The recent circulation of footage concerning the penalty struck and scored by Arturo Vidal in the Juventus v Cesena encounter, which according to some reveals a gesture of agreement between the Cesena player tasked with stopping the penalty and the Bianconeri midfielder, constitutes a clumsy and underhanded attempt at defamation," read the statement on the club's official website on Tuesday.
"Juventus Football Club will act accordingly in order to protect the image of both the club and Arturo Vidal."
It is not the first time Vidal has attracted controversy this season, as he was hit with a 10-game ban from the Chile national team after turning up to training in an inadequate state, along with four other players, ahead of the World Cup qualifier with Uruguay in November.