"It was planned. I'm saying nothing else," was Sensi's staggering reply.

Was the president of one of Italy's top clubs accusing last season's Champions League finalists, two of the game's most successful and famous clubs and two fierce rivals of fixing a draw which would benefit neither of them ? It certainly sounded like it.

Even Sensi probably realised he had said something so utterly ridiculous he backtracked later claiming he meant to say it was a "predictable" result rather than a "planned" one.

In most countries such remarks could shake the foundations of the game but in Italy no-one took Sensi's initial comment seriously -- and that is hardly surprising.

The 77-year-old makes a habit of such outragous comments which appear to serve no other purpose than to wind-up the big northern clubs.

For years he has complained that there is a conspiracy against Roma and in favour of Milan, Inter and particularly Juventus.

"Juventus have received scandalous benefits this year and in years past. Roma have never had any," Sensi said this week.

The details of these benefits were not explained by Sensi in the same way as his claim of the pre-arranged draw between Milan and Juventus went without any hint of proof.

LAUGHABLE CLAIM

Anyone who saw Marco Di Vaio's spectacular equaliser for Juventus against Milan, six minutes from the end of a game in which Milan keeper Dida had made a serious of outstanding saves to keep his side's lead, would have simply laughed at Sensi's claim.

Even more bizarrely the draw between the two leaders of Serie A actually benefitted Roma, who were able to close the gap at the top to just two points.

One imagines it was with a heavy sigh and a groan of "here, we go again," that the Italian Football Federation opened one of its customary investigations into Sensi's comments.

It is likely that, as on previous occassions, Sensi will not provide any proof for his claim and will get a small fine from the Federation.

But Sensi is far from being alone among Italian club presidents who relish a row and who view a question from a journalist as an opportunity to make a sensational headline.

Perugia president Luciano Gaucci may have a less vivid imagination in terms of plots and conspiracies than Sensi but he is unmatchable in terms of publicity stunts and over-the-top reactions.

When South Korean striker Ahn Jung-hwan, then a Perugia player, scored the goal that knocked Italy out of the 2002 World Cup finals, Gaucci effectively sacked him.

"I have no intention of paying a salary to someone who has ruined Italian soccer," he said at the time.

Gaucci's comments were reported across the world and Ahn never played for the club again.

Last season when a goal from Fabrizo Miccoli gave Perugia a win over AC Milan, Gaucci burst into tears of delight during a live television interview which was replayed throughout the following week.

The Perugia president was back in the headlines in the close-season when he signed Al-Saadi Gaddafi, son of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Gaucci denied the move was a publicity stunt but the Libyan has yet to play a game for the club and this week the whole business backfired when Gaddafi failed a drugs test.

Even if he is denied the services of Gaddafi, Gaucci has promised to strenthen the squad in the New Year by signing a top female striker, making his club the first to field a woman in a major professional championship.

Again, Gaucci denies he is merely seeking attention and says he is leading the fight for womens' equality.

DIFFERENT ROLE

While Sensi and Gaucci are extreme cases, the role of the Italian club president is vastly different to that of the club chairman in other countries.

The Italian club president never speaks with the calm voice of a "chairman of the board" -- but feels he must reflect the feelings of the most passionate fan in order to keep their support.

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti talks of his "pain and suffering" at the troubled fortunes of his team and occassionaly hints at standing down, before he realises what he would give up if he did so.

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi, also Prime Minister of the country, has never been shy about making suggestions on team tactics via the media.

For years Juventus have operated with effectively an honorary president but their director Luciano Moggi frequently phones into the rabid television debates about the game to challenge comments about his club and to launch verbal attacks on Sensi.

Moggi is something of a pantomime villian, provoking cheers or jeers from studio audiences.

To the outsider the bitter exchanges, the wild accusations and threats expressed in Serie A can give the impression of a league that is on the brink of total breakdown.

But the reality is that in Italy the wealthy club presidents are part of the show and are bigger names than many of their players and coaches.

That may be a questionable state of affairs but it is probably harmless.

Because as Sensi proved last week -- no-one really takes them seriously.