Juventus pitches in to help Turin

Juventus pitches in to help Turin

MILAN: Serie A leader Juventus will don shirts with Olympic logos and fill its pitch with mascots to help the cash-strapped organizers for Turin's 2006 Winter Games drum up some publicity, a government official said on Friday.

The club, drawn earlier in the day to play nine-time European champion Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League, pledged to take over some Olympic advertising after Turin's committee said it was short of the necessary funds.

"They (Juve) are going to help us. There will be speeches, mascots on the pitch, an exchange of mascots, posters in the stadium and shirts with the Games logo," Culture Ministry Undersecretary and Games supervisor Mario Pescante told Reuters after meeting the soccer club's officials.

He said the committee still faced a 150-160 million euros ($201-214 million) budget shortfall and would report on its financial situation at a board meeting on Dec. 28. - Reuters