European football's governing body UEFA has reprimanded Italian official Pierluigi Pairetto after published telephone taps showed he had leaked confidential information on a Champions League refereering appointment.
The intercepted telephone conversations, widely reported in Italian media, included Pairetto, a member of UEFA's refereeing commission, telling Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi the name of the referee for his team's Champions League game at Ajax Amsterdam on September 15, 2004.
UEFA regulations state the name of a referee is only to be communicated 48 hours before the match while the transcripts show Pairetto informing Moggi two weeks before the fixture that Swiss referee Urs Meier would be in charge.
"There was a disciplinary case, the decision was made today and he has been reprimanded for having violated the principle of conduct," said a UEFA spokesman on Friday.
"He cannot give out confidential information," said the spokesman who added no further action would be taken against Pairetto, whose term on the commission runs out on June 30.
According to the transcripts, former international referee Pairetto told Moggi: "I've put in place a great referee for the game at Amsterdam", mentioning the appointment of Meier.
The transcripts report Moggi saying: "That's really great." Pairetto replied: "Alright, I just called to say that. You see that I remember you."
Juventus won the game in Amsterdam 1-0.
The Italian Football Federation said this week it had put forward former referee Pierluigi Collina as its nomination for the commission, replacing Pairetto.