Soccer-Juve and Milan in bizarre row over television graphics

MILAN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - AC Milan have accused Juventus of manipulating television graphics to show that Carlos Tevez was onside when he scored the first goal for the Turin club in their 3-1 home win on Saturday. In a bizarre row between the old Serie A rivals, Juventus retorted that Milan's chief executive Adriano Galliani was creating a "farcical" controversy to mask his team's defeat. Tevez scored Juve's first goal when he was sent clear from near the halfway line and slotted the ball past Diego Lopez with the Milan defence unable to catch him. Television replays appeared to show that Tevez was just in line with the last defender, however Milan then said the computer-generated line drawn across the field was slightly skewed and not parallel to the halfway line. "According to the television pictures produced by Juventus, the two lines are parallel. For us, no," tweeted Milan. Galliani was quoted by Italian media as saying: "Unlike the other Serie A teams, the production of the television pictures of the Juventus matches are managed by the club itself." But champions Juventus replied in a statement that they had nothing to do with the graphics. "Mr Galliani has returned to two of his favourites passions, television and geometry," said the club, before launching into a complicated explanation of who is responsible for the pictures at Serie A matches. "Galliani is throwing food to the media to fuel a spurious and farcical controversy because he is trying desperately to hide from the Milan supporters the very clear result on the pitch in yesterday's game. Three to one." It added that Galliani was at the Serie A assembly which unanimously agreed the rules for the broadcasting of matches. "He seems to ignore that all the rules and regulations about use of technology and adaptations passed under his eyes, or were even decided by him," said the statement. (Writing by Brian Homewood, editing by Mark Meadows)