TURIN Italy AP Juventus top manager Luciano Moggi on Tuesday defended as ``well-grounded'' the club decision to stay a single day in Istanbul for the politically-tinged Champions League match against Turkey's Galatasaray. The Italian league champions who need a victory against the Turkish team to keep qualifying chances alive in the most titled European soccer competition decided to travel to Istanbul on match day Wednesday and return home immediately after the game. UEFA Europe's soccer governing body which requires teams to arrive the day before European Cup matches was critical of Juventus decision. ``Juventus feels there are well-grounded motives for failing to conform to UEFA directives'' said Moggi the general director of the Turin team which is owned by the Agnelli family of auto tycoons. Juventus confirmed on Tuesday its travel plans for the match which was already postponed by one week after Italy's refusal to extradite a Kurdish rebel leader prompted anti-Italian demonstrations in Turkey. Several Juventus players who had initially refused to travel to Instanbul bowed to the club decision to play Galatasaray but criticized the UEFA stand. ``We have been forced to play a game conditioned by political motives'' said No. 1 keeper Angelo Peruzzi. Team captain Antonio Conte said Tuesday that the Italian government and UEFA left the Italian team alone. ``UEFA and the Italian government have claimed that there are no security problems in Istanbul ... but as far as we know no UEFA and government representatives will be in Istanbul Wednesday'' Conte told the Italian news agency ANSA. Later however Italy's minister of sports and culture Giovanna Melandri said she was going to the game. ``I'm convinced that sports must always and in any case represent a moment of encounter. I hope I'll be attending a great match'' Melandri was quoted as saying. Another Italian minister holding the foreign trade portfolio also was planning to attend. Anti-Italian sentiment in Turkey over the Ocalan issue raised fears among Italian business owners that Turks might boycott Italian goods. pv-fd APW19981201.0447.txt.body.html APW19981201.0856.txt.body.html