Former Italy and Juventus defender Gianluca Pessotto is in a serious condition after falling from a window at the Serie A club's headquarters, the Juventus press office said on Tuesday.

Pessotto, who took up the post of Sports Director at Juventus at the end of last season after 11 years with the team, was taken to hospital in Turin with serious multiple fractures.

Pessotto, who made 22 appearances for Italy’s Azzurri, was a regular starter during one of the most successful periods in Juventus's history, winning six Serie A titles and the 1996 Champions League Final.

Juventus are currently under investigation for a match-fixing scandal that involves four Serie A sides, with AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio as well as a number of match officals and referees, but Pessotto, who has only been involved in the club’s affairs for a short time, is said to not be under investigation personally.

Unconfirmed reports say the Pessotto was clutching rosary beads as he stood on the second-floor windowsill before falling onto a car parked beneath the window.

The Italian police are saying that they are not ruling-out a suicide attempt.

Upon hearing the news of Pessotto's incident, Italy captain and Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro immediately walked out of a news conference at the Azzurri's World Cup training camp in Germany.

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