FORMER Carlton assistant coach Tony Liberatore will meet with the AFL on Tuesday to discuss his controversial tanking allegations.
The 1990 Brownlow Medallist was invited to meet with AFL officials early this week after alleging on last week’s Footy Show that the Blues deliberately lost matches in 2007 in a bid to secure a priority draft selection.
An AFL spokesman confirmed the meeting would take place on Tuesday, with Liberatore set to tell his side of the story despite appearing to back down from his comments on the weekend.
On Saturday Liberatore told Melbourne radio station SEN: "If they [the AFL] say to me, `do you think Carlton tanked?', I would say, `I don't think they did'."
On Channel Nine's The Footy Show on Thursday night, Liberatore was asked if he thought Carlton had tanked towards the end of last season and he replied: "personally, I would say yes".
Liberatore was an assistant coach with the Blues in 2007, but is no longer at the club.
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has reiterated his opinion that clubs do not tank and also clarified his reference to Richmond coach Terry Wallace during a media conference two days ago.
Demetriou said that Wallace contacted him on Saturday, wanting an explanation after the AFL boss referred to him while discussing the tanking issue.
Speaking on Channel Seven on Sunday morning, Demetriou said the AFL would look into any specific concerns that Liberatore might raise.
"As I said the other day, if he's got a specific allegation that he can support, then we'll look into it," Demetriou said.
"But as I indicated the other day, I had (Carlton chief executive) Greg Swann on the phone at 7.30 the following morning, absolutely saying to the AFL, 'we've got nothing to hide, come in if you like, we'll make everyone available'.
"The fact that Tony has put it out there and he's willing to come in and talk to us, we'll certainly sit down and talk to him."
Demetriou added the league "probably" had an image problem with the issue, because it was receiving so much media attention.
"You can have theories and the like, but as I've said in the past and I know people want to take me up on it, I actually find it really abhorrent that people are accusing a club and various people I've got very high regard for, of losing games," he said.
"(We're) having people call these people cheats.
"If people want to substantiate that with a claim, they should come forward."
Demetriou specifically referred to Wallace at a media conference on Friday, saying the Tigers coach would "perhaps" be out of a job this season if his club qualified for a priority draft pick. Richmond finished bottom of the ladder last season.
"I responded (on Friday) by saying Denis Pagan is out of a job now after he lost several games last year (at Carlton)," Demetriou said.
"I don't believe Terry Wallace wants to be in a situation where if he loses games, that he could possibly be sacked all for the sake of getting a priority draft pick.
"I then went on to say that I don't think that's what Terry wants, it is not what we want, it is not what anyone wants.
"In the context of the answer, which was about tanking, I still maintain that the prize of getting a priority draft pick is not worth people sacrificing their careers, their jobs, their reputations."
