Buffon angered by match-fixing suspicions

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has spoken about his anger following rumours that he is involved in the Calcioscommesse match-fixing scandal gripping Italy. The rumours were sparked by something he said previously when talking about teams playing for a draw when the result suits them both. Buffon was speaking out in support of his Juventus coach Antonio Conte, who is under investigation for match-fixing related to his time as Siena coach last season. He is accused of having been aware that a match between Siena and Novara was fixed to end in a draw. Buffon defended teams settling for certain results when that's all they need. It led to a suggestion that Buffon had made a deliberate mistake in Juventus's third from last game of the season in which his gaffe led to a late equalising goal for Siena. "If it's true the investigators want to talk to me then you should tell me," Buffon told journalists from Italy's pre-Euro 2012 training camp near Florence. "You always know these things first so tell me as you know everything before those involved." Buffon was alluding to the fact that the Italian press were aware of the pre-dawn raid on Italy's base by police on Monday in which a search warrant was issued against full-back Domenico Criscito. Nineteen people were arrested in co-ordinated raids up and down the country and yet the local press seemed to have word of them before they happened. Buffon described that as "shameful" but what has really upset him is his own credibility being called into question. "If a person becomes so crazy, as has happened, that people can think that the mistake I made against Lecce in the league was because I had bet on the match then there's nothing left to say, these are accusations that disarm you," said a fuming Buffon. The controversy arose from Buffon commenting on how it is understandable that teams will sometimes settle for a certain result rather than going for broke. And he made reference in particular to the 2-2 draw between Sweden and Denmark at the 2004 European Championships that eliminated Italy from the group stages. Once the score arrived at 2-2, which would see both Scandinavian countries progress at Italy's expense, neither seemed willing to take any more risks. "At the time I wasn't angry I was just stunned, matches should be played," explained Buffon. "But having said that, Real Madrid and Bayern didn't play in extra-time (in this season's Champions League semi-final), they wanted penalties. "Do we want to call the magistrates over that? There are games at the end of the season in which both teams need a draw to avoid the drop, so what do you expect. "Who will then explain it to the fans if they go down (having played to win and lost)?"