Italy coach Marcello Lippi said Thursday the scandal surrounding Serie A club Juventus over referee appointments should not be linked to the performances of the national team at next month's World Cup.

"If we fail to achieve our World Cup objectives then we will assume our responsibilities without hiding behind excuses of the current problems in Italian football,"said Lippi.

The Italian football federation has started investigation after media published excerpts of phone calls between Juventus general director Luciano Moggi and a refereeing official from last season in which the pair allegedly discussed match officials assigned for Serie A and Champions League games.

The scandal came out when Italy is about to start their World Cup campaign with the 23-man squad to be named on Monday.

The World Cup will kick off from June 9 to July 9.

Source: Xinhua