Happy Lazio may keep Veron from United

SS Lazio are to decide the future of Juan Veron after he was cleared of wrongdoing in the Italian passport scandal which saw several players banned today.

But Lazio may now decide to keep Veron after he escaped a ban.

"I am very pleased with the disciplinary committee's verdict, because what I've been saying all along has now been recognised - that in the Veron affair, both Lazio and the player were tricked," SS Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti said in a statement.

"The only disappointment is that the verdict has left the position of our executive Felice Pulici in suspense, because he too has clearly been a victim of this intrigue."

"I hope the appeal to the federation's appeals committee (CAF) can clear away this remaining shadow of doubt as well."

Lazio were fined 2 billion lire but now the club can turn to thoughts of Veron's future.

Veron can move to Manchester United with the deal already in place after Lazio were prepared to off load the midfielder following the passport scandal.

Veron and the Rome club's president Sergio Cragnotti were facing a two year ban that would taint their championship win of last season.

Veron, Sergio Cragnotti and directors Nello Governato and Felice Pulici all faced charges over falsifying documents to gain an Italian passport for the Argentine midfielder and flout Italian league rules on quotas for foreign players.

Pulici is banned for two years.

Veron helped Lazio to their first title win since 1974 and an Italian Cup victory and has led them into title contention again this season.

The player's agent has been in talks with Manchester United over a £23 million transfer that depends on Veron escaping a long ban.

United denied media reports that they had signed Veron this month.

Director of communications, Patrick Harverson, said earlier this month: "Manchester United have not signed Juan Veron."

Veron does face civil trial on October 11th along with club president Sergio Cragnotti over his claims to be an Italian citizen.

Manchester United were trying to provide an escape route for the player to leave Italy after his last year with Lazio became dogged by charges that the Rome club and the player's agents conspired to falsify Italian citizenship documents.

Prosecutor for the Italian Football League's disciplinary committee Carlo Porceddu said player faced a two year ban which would be worldwide although a one year ban was more likely as happened to Inter striker Alvaro Recoba.

Manchester United's denial of their purchase of Juan Veron was backed up by the player.

"I'm not leaving. I want to wait and see what happens here".

"I don't feel betrayed by Lazio but by those who dealt with this," the Argentine midfielder said.

But the player's agent has been in talks with United over a £23 million transfer that depends on Veron escaping a long ban.

Lazio and Veron applied for an Italian passport to allow the Rome club to field an extra non-EU player during their successful championship campaign last year.

Court hearings in March and April decided there had been wrongdoing after Lazio traced Veron's family tree to a great grandmother in southern Italy.

Veron denied in January that he wanted to leave Lazio and join Real Madrid but the club may be prepared to off load their midfield star to finance rebuilding under coach Dino Zoff in the summer.

One way to end the scandal was for Veron to leave Lazio and put the events of the last two years in the past although any buying club knows Veron is due in court to answer a case in October.

Any move for Veron would smash the current British transfer record which stands at £19 million for striker Ruud van Nistelrooy paid by United to PSV Eindhoven in April.

Veron's agent made contact with United and Liverpool on a trip to the UK in January of this year to start their interest in a move for the powerful midfielder.

Mascardi has made the offer to the richest English clubs to start negotiations with the Italian champions who have been resisting interest from Real Madrid in 26 year old Veron. The player has spent two seasons in Rome after a move from Parma AC for £18 million. Before that he was with Genoa side Sampdoria.

He is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the modern game and should be one of the main stars of the 2002 World Cup finals. He has captained Argentina to a healthy lead in their CONMEBOL qualifying section.

Lazio pay Veron £80,000 a week plus extravagant bonuses and United would have to match this and break open their pay structure to do it.

New contracts for Phil Neville, Jaap Stam, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Andy Cole have all been kept within the current pay structure which keeps captain Roy Keane as the club's highest earner. Veron's wages are nearly double those of Keane with only David Beckham testing the current structure.

United can pay even higher wages but the effect of a Veron deal on talks with Beckham and the pay scale at the Premiership champions would have to be considered.

After missing out on Lilian Thuram in recent weeks though, United were in the mood to buy proven quality.

Thuram went to Juventus and United have seen Arsenal say that they will not sell Patrick Vieira to the English champions while Emmanuel Petit has joined Chelsea and Zinedine Zidane is going to Real Madrid.

United have few transfer targets left if they do not land Veron who is now in the clear to stay in Serie A.

Porceddu has asked to know the reason for the FIGC disciplinary committee's decision to exonerate Veron but their decision means he can now stay at Lazio unless the Rome club have other plans.

With FC Barcelona again telling Lazio that Rivaldo is not fo sale and the Romes club's attempts to buy Fabio Cannavaro and Rui Costa going nowhere they may now see Veron as a valuable asset rather than a controversial figure dogged by claims over rule breaking in the Italian league.