Season to be delayed?

Reports in Italy suggest that it is very unlikely that the Serie A and Serie B championships will start on August 27 as scheduled.

The probable starting date may be September 10, after an almost four-month break, considering that the national team will play their first Euro 2008 qualifying matches on September 2 and 6.

The Commissioner of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Guido Rossi had guaranteed there would be no delay, but the appeals of the teams involved in the match-mixing scandal and the evolving second phase inquiries will probably take up most of August.

Earlier today the trio of Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio presented their appeals to the CONI Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, the highest degree in sporting justice, hoping to overturn the verdicts handed down on July 25. CONI’s decisions should arrive within August 10 and if the clubs and officials involved are still not satisfied they may decide to appeal to the civil courts, namely TAR.

The commission who was assigned the second phase of the investigation ended its inquiry on Thursday afternoon and chief Francesco Saverio Borrelli submitted his report on Monday. FIGC prosecutor Stefano Palazzi may call for new indictments for Reggina and possibly Arezzo, Messina, Siena and Lecce before the end of the week, while the first verdicts are expected for mid-month.

Reggina are the ones risking the most and are being investigated with regards to six matches played in the 2004-05 season. The clubs involved have pleaded their innocence and denied any wrongdoing, but it will be very difficult to wrap up all the appeals before the end of August

Reflection: A brighter, cleaner & fairer calcio

SPECIAL ARTICLE:
Written by James Richardson - the face of Italian football on British TV since 1992.

It’s less than three months since those first reports of phone taps of Luciano Moggi’s conversations. In that time we’ve seen a system turned upside down, and changes that seemed inconceivable in early May. After the tribunal in Rome softened up the verdicts for Juve, Fiorentina, Lazio and Milan on appeal some people are suggesting that we’re back at the usual ‘whitewash’. I think they’re forgetting just how far we’ve come in such a short time.

Back in May, when the inquiry began, the idea that it would end with Italy’s most powerful and popular club relegated was almost impossible to get your head around. The evidence was there alright, but Juve in B? Still, that’s what we’ve got, and with a massive points penalty too – although 17 points may be less than the original 30, it’s still the biggest penalty package ever awarded.

Lazio and Fiorentina have had their relegations revoked, for unlike Juve and Milan they were guilty of talking to institutions, not referees and linesmen, but they’ll still face significant points deductions. Milan are the most puzzling case – the inquiry hinted they were up to plenty, but as the only evidence involved a man only loosely tied to the club they emerge almost undamaged (depending on UEFA’s Champions League decision). Lucky old Silvio.

Not everything has been resolved, admittedly. Apart from Milan, there’s the worrying sight of Luciano Moggi popping back up, emboldened by the appeals, to announce he’s “not done with football yet.” Juve too now talk of contesting the appeals verdict, after accepting less than a month ago that Serie B was a fair punishment. The likes of Moggi won’t go quietly, but they’ll find there’s no going back to the old ways.

Interim Federation boss Guido Rossi has pushed through calcio’s biggest set of changes ever, ending the reign of Franco Carraro as Italy’s FA chief (a huge step forward; Carraro and his cronies have presided over an incredible series of problems – doping, false passports, financial meltdown – without ever doing anything but the wishes of the big clubs), ending Adriano Galliani’s absurd double leadership of both Milan and the Football League, and, get this, even moving towards a new collective TV rights deal. In short it’s a brighter, cleaner and fairer calcio – and all in the space of just three months.

Congratulations to him. The next miracle, meanwhile, looks beyond even the powers of Professor Rossi. Serie A is due to kick-off again on the last weekend of August, but with a ‘second tier’ of clubs now facing the tribunal, and upcoming appeals from Lazio, Fiorentina and Juventus, and above all with calcio’s financial watchdog, the Covisoc, about to blow the whistle on several clubs, it looks unfeasible that the Federation can determine the top flight in such a short space of time. Mind you, they have surprised us before.

Courtesy of Bravo Football Italia

Appeals to continue, Inter are Champions

Juventus have said they will continue to appeal against the punishment of relegation from Serie A following their part in the match-fixing scandal. Italy's system of justice in sport offers one more level of appeal, before the Turin club can move their case to a civil court. "We will exhaust the sporting justice procedure," club chief Giovanni Cobolli Gigli told Gazzetta dello Sport. "If we aren't satisfied at that stage then we will go to the regional court."

Juventus will start next season in Serie B with a 17-point deduction, if the verdict from Tuesday's appeal ruling remains in force. And they have also been stripped of their 2005/06 Serie A title, with Inter Milan assigned champions instead. The title is Inter's first since 1989 and was awarded to them after a three-man panel of Gerhard Aigner, Massimo Coccia and Roberto Pardolesi - working on behalf of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) - agreed to assign the 2005/06 title. "In the event of a title merely being revoked without modifying the classification, the title must necessarily remain unassigned," explained the report written by the three-man commission. "On the contrary, in the event of sanctions that imply changes to the league table (such as point deductions or enforced relegation), article 49 imposes the automatic assignment of the title to the team which are then first in the table after considering the sanctions."

"I am fully satisfied by the awarding of the title to a club and team that behaved correctly," said Inter owner Massimo Moratti, who finally gets his hands on the 'Scudetto' after 11 years in charge of the club. Coach Roberto Mancini said: "I'm happy. Regardless of how it arrived, it is right to reward those who have given their best and have always been honest. It is strange to win like this but we played fair."

The 2004/05 title, which Juve were also stripped of, has been revoked and will remain vacant for the time being.

Fiorentina and Lazio, who had their Serie A status restored, will also appeal against the penalty points that removed them from European competition. "It's the first step. We haven't done anything and we will go down every avenue to clear our name," said Fiorentina owner Diego Della Valle. "Now we will go to all the courts possible to remove any shadow of guilt and give back what they have taken from us," he added. Lazio president Claudio Lotito said that his Rome outfit would "move to other levels of justice" in order to get their sentence changed.

AC Milan are the only one of the four clubs charged who will not appeal after their sentence was reduced allowing them to play in the qualifying round of the Champions League next season.

But they may still be banned from competing in Europe by UEFA, reports on Wednesday were suggesting. It’s understood that the European game’s footballing body will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss their options, one of which could be not to accept their entry.

“The meeting has been set up to take a decision on Italy’s participants for European competition during next season,” a UEFA spokesman is quoted as saying on numerous Italian websites.

UEFA do have the power to decline a club entry into their competitions as William Gaillard, their head of communications, has previously outlined. "Who plays in the European competitions will be up to the UEFA committee,” he underlined. "In the past, the committee have made exceptions by preventing clubs from taking part in European competitions. Marseille were one case in 1993.''

The then Champions League holders, who beat Milan 1-0 in the 1993 Final, were thrown out of the competition after they were found guilty of match-fixing in the French League.

2006-07: How next season shapes up...

This is how the 2006-07 season shapes up...

Serie A: Ascoli, Atalanta, Cagliari, Catania, Chievo, Empoli, Fiorentina (-19), Inter Milan, Lazio (-11), Livorno, Messina (restored), AC Milan (-8), Palermo, Parma, Reggina, Roma, Sampdoria, Siena, Torino & Udinese.

UEFA Champions League: Inter Milan & Roma qualify automotically into the Group Stage. Chievo & AC Milan will have to qualify for the tournament through the third qualifying round.

UEFA Cup: Palermo, Livorno & Parma will be entered in the First Round.

Serie B: AlbinoLeffe, Arezzo, Bari, Bologna, Brescia, Cesena, Crotone, Frosinone, Genoa, Juventus (-17), Lecce, Mantova, Modena, Napoli, Pescara, Piacenza, Rimini, Spezia, Treviso, Triestina (-1, due to financial problems), Verona & Vicenza.

APPEAL VERDICTS: Reductions for all - Viola & Lazio reinstated to Serie A

The Italian clubs implicated in the match-fixing scandal have had their punishments slashed on appeal. The Federal Court has returned Fiorentina and Lazio back to Serie A, while cut the points penalties for Juventus and AC Milan.

The verdicts were finally delivered on Tuesday 25 July at the Parco Dei Principi Hotel in Rome with all four of the convicted clubs being handed reductions on their initial sentences. President of the appeals court, Piero Sandulli (pictured), and his panel ruled that the Turin club at the centre of the most explosive scandal in Italy's footballing history should be relegated to Serie B, as decided earlier this month, but with barely half the 30-points handicap originally imposed for the coming season. Juve, who are still stripped of the Serie A titles they won in the past two seasons, have been fined €120,000 (£85,000). But the sports judges' reduction in the points handicap means that Juventus could be back in the top division by the start of the 2007-08 season.

The relegations of Fiorentina and Lazio were revoked but penalties of 30 points each from last season's table means neither is in Europe next season. The two sides will remain in Serie A but will start with hefty handicaps of 19 and 11 points respectively which will mean both start the season under the shadow of relegation.

The important news for Silvio Berlusconi's Milan, who were not facing relegation from Serie A, is that they are back in the Champions League in the coming season, albeit in the preliminary round. The threatened docking of 44 points from last season, which would have removed Milan from the qualifying places for Europe, was cut to 30. They will also now start the new season with an eight-point deficit rather than the 15 imposed by the CAF court on July 14.

In addition, Juventus and Fiorentina were told they must play their first three home games of the 2006-07 campaigns at neutral grounds. Lazio were given a two-match stadium ban and Milan one match. The court also confirmed the five-year bans for former Juventus executives Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo - the figures at the centre of the scandal. Other key figures, including Adriano Galliani (Milan vice-President), Claudio Lotito (Lazio President), Andrea (Fiorentina President) and Diego Della Valle (Fiorentina Honoury President), and the former FIGC President Franco Carraro, had their initial senetences reduced.

With the various points penalties and Juve's relegation, Inter Milan come out on top of last season's standings with a tally of 76 points - and the Italian FA decided to hand them the 2006 Scudetto. The 2004-05 title has been revoked and will remain vacant for the time being.

Juventus are now the only one of the four implicated clubs to be demoetd to Serie B, and the Turin club immediately said that they would now appeal again - possibly through a civil court if necessary. Juve's club lawyer Cesare Zaccone told Italian news agency Ansa the appeal court's decision was "incredible." And club chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli said in a statement: "We absolutely cannot accept this sentence. Putting into light what has occurred, this verdict can not be considered as balanced. I find it serious and totally unfair the diversity of verdict that separates Juventus from the other clubs. For this reason, we have decided to continue our appeals in every possible forum. I can assure everyone that we won’t stop until justice is done, in the interest of our extraordinary fans, our shareholders, the club and the Italian championship".

Fiorentina owner Diego Della Valle also raised the possibility of an appeal in the civil courts, saying after the hearing: "We will continue in respect of rules and law. We want to play in the Champions League. This appeal is a first step. We did nothing and I repeat, we don't want to lose Champions League qualification after having achieved it on the pitch. There are no doubts, we will continue. I want to thank the judges who have worked in a good way, changing completely the first trial's incredible verdict, because they had a lot of pressures."

And Lazio president Claudio Lotito added: "I'm not satisfied at all. Lazio has not broken any rules. We are not allowed to play in the UEFA Cup despite having achieved qualification on the pitch and the points penalty incurred for next season, are things that are not in line with the truth. We will now assess with our lawyers on what to do next."

Milan lawyer Leandro Cantamessa was reasonably satisfied. "This verdict is much better than the first one. For a team who had asked for absolution, this isn't a win, but considering the first verdict, it's much better." Cantamessa refused to confirm whether or not the club would seek to absolve themselves entirely in the civil courts.

UEFA had extended its own deadline for national associations to submit the teams which will play European football this season - to allow Italy to sort out this saga. The FIGC have now confirmed Italy's representatives in the Champions League - Inter Milan, Roma, Chievo and Milan. The teams entering the UEFA Cup will be Palermo, Livorno and Parma.

The big losers from the appeal decisions are Lecce and Treviso. The bottom two clubs in Serie A last season were reinstated to Serie A along with 18th-placed Messina after the original verdicts. But now Fiorentina and Lazio are back in Serie A, Lecce and Treviso will be relegated after all. Messina stay up, taking Juventus' place in the top-flight, although they will now fear the Turin club's next appeal.


Here’s a full rundown of all the appeal verdicts handed out...

Juventus
- Remain in Serie B.
- 17 points deducted, rather than 30.
- 3 matches will be played on a neutral ground.
- Fined 120,000 Euros.
- 2004-05 & 2005-06 titles stripped.
- Luciano Moggi banned from football for five years.
- Antonio Giraudo banned from football for five years.

Fiorentina
- Reinstated to Serie A.
- 19 points deducted, rather than Serie B.
- 3 matches will be played on a neutral ground.
- Fined 120,000 Euros.
- 30 points deducted from 2005-06 season.
- Andrea Della Valle banned from football for three years.
- Diego Della Valle banned from football for three years.
- Sandro Mencucci banned from football for two years and six months.

Lazio
- Reinstated to Serie A.
- 11 points deducted, rather than Serie B.
- 2 matches will be played on a neutral ground.
- Fined 120,000 Euros.
- 30 points deducted from 2005-06 season.
- Claudio Lotito banned from football for two years and six months.

AC Milan
- Stay in Serie A.
- 8 points deducted, rather than 15.
- 1 match will be played on a neutral ground.
- Entered into the Champions' League preliminary stage.
- 30 points deducted from 2005-06 season.
- Adriano Galliani banned from football for nine months.
- Leonardo Meani banned for from football for two years and six months.

FIGC officials
- Franco Carraro (ex-President) fined 80,000 Euros.
- Innocenzo Mazzini (ex-Vice-President) banned from football for five years.

Referees and officials
- Tullio Lanese banned from football for two years and six months.
- Pierluigi Pairetto banned from football for three years.
- Gennaro Mazzei banned from football for six months.
- Pietro Ingargiola was cautioned.
- Massimo De Santis banned from football for four years.
- Paolo Dondarini was cleared.
- Gianluca Paparesta banned from football for three months.
- Fabrizio Babini banned from football for six months.
- Claudio Puglisi banned from football for six months.


View the sentences in full (Italian) >>>
View the 2004-05 & 2005-06 table here >>>
View the revised 2005-06 table here (after appeals) >>>

Italy awaits appeal verdicts

The four Italian clubs found guilty of match-fixing should learn whether their appeals against their punishments have been successful at 1930 BST.

Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio were all relegated to Serie B and had 30, 12 and seven points deducted respectively. AC Milan were allowed to stay in Serie A, but with a 15-point deduction.

All four clubs were also barred from playing in Europe this season - but the quartet have all appealed against the severity of their punishments. UEFA has extended the deadline for the submission of the names of Italian clubs eligible to take part in the 2006-07 European club competitions until tomorrow morning. European soccer's governing body said on Tuesday it had received a letter from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) asking for an extension of one day from today's original deadline.

The original punishments were handed out to the disgraced clubs by a Rome tribunal just five days after Italy won the World Cup in Germany.

The football federation's appeal court has been listening to the clubs' pleas for leniency at Rome's Parco dei Principi hotel since Saturday. Milan want their European ban to be lifted, while Juve want leniency after their points deduction effectively ruled out any hope of making an immediate return to Serie A next season. Lazio and Fiorentina were also represented at the hearing.

Cesare Zaccone, the solicitor defending Juve, said: "The career for a footballer is short and some of our best players are world champions. None of them wants to risk two years in Serie B or, worse still, relegation to Serie C1."

Juventus may also lose the last two Serie A titles they won, while manager Fabio Capello has joined Real Madrid to be replaced by Didier Deschamps. And Italy's World Cup-winning skipper Fabio Cannavaro and Brazil midfielder Emerson have already left to join to Real Madrid, while Gianluca Zambrotta and Lilian Thuram have moved to Barcelona.

Speculation in the Italian media suggests that points deductions will be reduced, while Lazio and Fiorentina may be put back into the top flight.

Quartet begin their appeals

The four clubs hit by sanctions in the Italian match-fixing scandal began their appeals to overturn their punishments at the federal court in Rome on Saturday. Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio and AC Milan were all found to have committed irregularities in relation to the assignment of referees and linesman during the 2004-05 campaign by a sports tribunal last week.

Juve were the most heavily hit as they were stripped of their last two titles, demoted to Serie B and handed a massive 30-point penalty. The solicitor defending the Turin-based club is hoping their appeal will force a change in the original punishment, giving Didier Deschamps' side a better chance of returning to the top flight after just one season. "There are lots of ways the penalty can be reduced," explained Cesare Zaccone, who believes overturning the decision to send them into Serie B may be a little too much to expect. We'll have to see, but let's not get carried away," he added.

The other three clubs are all aiming to be cleared of all charges by starting the next campaign in the top flight with no penalties. At present, Fiorentina and Lazio have been assigned to the Second Division with a deduction of 12 and seven points respectively. Milan kept their place in the top tier, but were kicked out of the Champions League by deducting 44 points of last seasons tally and given a 15-point setback for the new 2006-07 campaign.

Juventus have been at the centre of the scandal since it began in early May with the publication of intercepted telephone conversations between their then general manager Luciano Moggi and senior Italian Football Federation (FIGC) officials, discussing refereeing appointments during the 2004/05 season. The club has consistently argued that Moggi was acting independently and without their knowledge.

Prosecutor Stefano Palazzi, was in no mood to compromise, telling the appeals court that the tribunal had not been tough enough on Juventus and repeating his original call for the club to be sent down to Italy's third division. Moggi's behaviour, he said, constituted a "series of violations of the principle of fair conduct, which amount to sporting fraud".

Saturday's appeals kicked off at 9am local time at the Parco dei Principi Hotel in Rome, the same venue where the first grade sentences were delivered. It’s unclear when Piero Sandulli, the President of the appeals court, will hand out his court’s verdict - but they are expected on Monday, the day before the deadline that UEFA have set for the FIGC to be handed the names of Italy’s European competitors next season. Should the appeals process remain unfinished on Tuesday, the FIGC commissioner Guido Rossi has said that Italy's list to UEFA would reflect the verdicts of the sports tribunal, meaning Juventus, Milan and Fiorentina would lose their places in the Champions League to make way for Roma, Chievo and Palermo.

Although the appeal sentence should in theory be the definite verdict, there is the possibility that clubs and individuals could go and seek justice in the civil courts if still not satisfied with the outcome.

More promotion spots

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) commissioner Guido Rossi (pictured) has called for an increase in the number of teams promoted from Serie B next season. Rossi believes that four or five clubs should be promoted from the second division so that the clubs relegated by the match-fixing scandal don’t take up all the available places.

This would not be the first time that such a step was taken in Italian football. As recently as 2003-2004, the structure of the league had to be revised. Catania were relegated from Serie B but successfully appealed as Siena had fielded an ineligible player in a crucial draw between the two sides.The Italian Football Federation chose to create a 24-team Serie B and to promote six teams – five automatic and one via a play-off. Only four sides were relegated from A, increasing the division to 20 teams.

This time there is no plan to increase the size of the top flight. Rossi’s suggestion would see as many sides relegated from Serie A as were promoted from B.The biggest argument in favour of the plan is that sides such as Napoli, Genoa and Brescia would still have a fair chance of making the step up to A and would not be unfairly penalised by the verdicts.

Calciopoli - Part 2

Reggina, Messina, Lecce and Siena are the latest sides to become embroiled in the Italian match-fixing scandal. The head of the investigation team Saverio Borrelli (pictured) and FIGC commissioner Guido Rossi are analysing transcripts of over 300 telephone calls which could incriminate the four clubs. “I wouldn’t call it a second wave of investigations, my team are taking the same investigation further,” Borrelli said. “Every time a violation of the rules is discovered we try to find out as much as we can.”

Reggina face the greatest scrutiny for a number of calls made by club President Pasquale Foti to refereeing designator Paolo Bergamo and the former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi. One call that will be studied closely came on December 4th 2004 – the day before Reggina faced Brescia. The Southern outfit face further investigation after suggestions were made that Reggina didn’t have sufficient funds to register for last season.

Lecce boss Zdenek Zeman has also fuelled controversy by admitting that he was mystified by his own side’s performance against Parma. That match finished 3-3 – a result that ensured Parma faced a relegation play-off and Lecce secured survival.

Reggina, Messina and Siena are all also facing questions regarding their relationship with Juventus and Luciano Moggi. The three sides all conducted a large number of deals with the Bianconeri – last season Siena had six Juve players on loan. Those dealings will now come under intense scrutiny, which could threaten to delay the start of the season if the case goes to court, even if it is unclear how far this fresh investigation will run.

The scandal has already claimed four victims as Milan were kicked out of the Champions League while Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio were relegated to Serie B with points deducted. All of the clubs involved in the previous investigation, who will appeal on Saturday, and the on-going probe have protested their innocence and denied any wrongdoing.

Italian football's tangled web

SPECIAL REPORT:
Italian sport journalist Giancarlo Galavotti tries to unravel the tangled web which has shaken Italian football...


WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
Some of the biggest clubs and individuals in Italian football have found themselves at the centre of match-fixing allegations. The scandal revolves around transcripts of phone taps which appear to show key figures in Italian football putting pressure on referees to favour certain clubs.

The allegations were uncovered as prosecutors investigated doping allegations at Juventus, Italy's most popular and successful club. That probe, which resulted in club doctor Riccardo Agricola being found guilty of administering drugs to players in the mid-90s, resulted in phone taps being ordered by Turin prosecutors.

As a result, Juventus - winners of their 29th Serie A title on 14 May - were implicated alongside AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio.

Juventus' general manager Luciano Moggi, who resigned after Juve secured the title, was at the centre of the scandal although he protested his innocence. Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Franco Carraro and vice-President Innocenzo Mazzini also resigned and the pair, along with Juventus director Antonio Giraudo, were among those under formal investigation.

Galavotti, who writes for Italian daily sport newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, said: "Our sales rocketed by about 50,000 copies a day since this happened. Even old women going to the market in the morning want to read about this. It is astonishing."

WHAT WERE THE SPECIFIC ALLEGATIONS?
Prosecutors investigated Moggi and Giraudo for allegedly detaining referee Gianluca Paparesta and his two assistants in a changing room after Juve's 2-1 loss at Reggina in November 2004. They were alleged to have berated the officials for not favouring Juve during the game.

In another transcript published by the Italian media, Moggi spoke to Pierluiggi Pairetto, the vice-chairman of UEFA's referees' commission, to put pressure on him to appoint a referee who would be favourable to Juve.

Italian newspapers printed wiretaps of calls Moggi made to government minister Giuseppe Pisanu. The Juve boss is alleged to have tried to persuade Pisanu to give the go-ahead to games despite the imminent death of Pope John Paul II - Juventus were scheduled to play against Fiorentina, who had two players suspended and two injured.

The game was cancelled when the Pope died and Pisanu, who is alleged to have asked for help for a lower-division team in his local area in return, has angrily denied any wrong-doing.

The troubles for Moggi did not stop there - he was under separate investigations with prosecutors in Naples and Rome looking into illegal gambling and the operation of a management company (GEA World) owned by his son Alessandro.

Meanwhile, Italy and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, still the world's most expensive 'keeper, was probed over allegations he gambled on matches - strictly forbidden in Italy.

WHO IS LUCIANO MOGGI?
Moggi has been with Juventus for 12 years and is one of Italian football's most powerful men.

Galavotti said Moggi has a formidable reputation. "He has been considered as a sort of godfather of Italian football. When he joined Juventus 12 years ago, he was very sought after," he said. "Until very recently Inter Milan were hoping to secure his services. The power of Moggi was already legendary 12 years ago, although not because of an ability to manipulate referees - that would have been too much. But he was considered to be ruler of the transfer market. It was commonly felt there wouldn't be a transfer in Italy without Moggi's consent."

HOW SERIOUS IS THIS?
These events have proven even more serious than the events of 1980 when Milan and Lazio were demoted to Serie B following an investigation into match-fixing.

Juventus, who are owned by the powerful Agnelli family that also control car manufacturers Fiat, Milan and Fiorentina all qualified for next season's UEFA Champions League, while Lazio were scheduled to play in the UEFA Cup. But all four clubs have been thrown out of Europe next season.

AC Milan remain in Serie A but will start next season with a 15-point deduction. Lazio, Fiorentina and Juventus were demoted to Serie B and were also deducted points.

Juve - the most successful team in Italian football history - will start next season 30 points behind their rivals and also had their last two league titles taken from them.

HOW DID PEOPLE REACT?
Needless to say, fans, media and even those who do not normally follow football have been stunned.

Galavotti said: "I would compare it to the fall of the fascist regime in Italy. When it fell, everybody was more or less compromised, because it could not have stood in power for 20 years by itself. People would not admit to being fascist, but they were concealing or pretending that they never were, switching sides with alarming ease. There are plenty who are saying that nothing has been proven and nobody has been indicted of anything yet. Moggi and Giraudo said they were victims and that things will be clarified to show just how innocent they are. But the gut feeling among the vast majority of Italians is that this is scandal the likes of which there hasn't been before, at least in European football."

Inter to receive Scudetto

Reports in Italy suggest that within the next 10 days Inter Milan will be officially awarded last season’s Scudetto.

With Juventus relegated and Milan deducted 44 points, the Nerazzurri top the revised table for the 2005-06 campaign. However, it was initially suggested that the Scudetto would be declared void rather than awarded to the next best team.

A meeting is scheduled for July 28 between members of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Football League (Lega Calcio). It is widely believed that that the two governing bodies are set to hand the title to Inter.

Owner Massimo Moratti has been insistent from the beginning that his club deserve to be awarded their 14th championship. “I insist that we are given the title so that we are separated from the guilty clubs,” the oil tycoon stated. “Otherwise we’re saying that the whole of Serie A was involved in the scandal.”

Appeals date set

Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina and AC Milan will begin their appeals against their penalties on Saturday 22 July. Milan will appeal against a 15-point fine, while the others are challenging points fines and relegation to Serie B. All four clubs filed appeals before the deadline on Monday evening. "The appeals process, following the sentences of the tribunal, will start on Saturday morning," appeals court president Piero Sandulli told state broadcaster RAI.

It’s unclear when an appeals verdict will be delivered. If none is given before July 25 then Italy’s European entrants will be based on the initial sentences. That would mean Inter will be joined in the Champions League by Roma, Chievo and Palermo. The UEFA Cup situation is still unclear though. Although Livorno and Parma would be promoted to the competition, Empoli have been denied a UEFA licence. That may allow AC Milan to sneak in.

The clubs' appeals will argue that the sports tribunal, which found the four clubs guilty, failed to give the accused clubs the means to defend themselves by banning witness and video evidence. The clubs will also argue their punishment is too harsh, with Juventus facing the prospect of not returning to Champions League action for three years.

Sandulli added: "I don't agree with those who argue that during the sports tribunal there were limitations in the defence rights. We are in a judicial situation that the clubs accepted and agreed to in the moment they signed up to be memebers of the Italian Football Federation."

However, by appealing, the quartet risk further punishment as prosecutor Stefano Palazzi is to resubmit his original recommendations, which called for far stronger sentences. Palazzi had asked for Juventus to be demoted to “a league lower than Serie B”, and AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio to be relegated to Serie B with larger points deductions.

Milan's UEFA hopes & Bologna want A

Milan may still play European football next season, despite Friday's verdicts. The Rossoneri will see 44 points deducted from last term’s total, denying them a place in the UEFA Champions' League. However, even with this penalty, they find themselves only one place short of UEFA Cup qualification, and may now find a way into the competition at the expense of Empoli.

While Livorno and Parma are set to take advantage of the misfortune of Serie A’s most illustrious clubs, Empoli don’t yet have the necessary licence to enter the UEFA Cup. Should the Tuscan minnows fail to receive permission to enter, Milan would be the next club in line.

As things stand, Inter Milan and Roma will go straight into the Champions League group stages, while Palermo and Chievo will enter the preliminary round.

Juventus were relegated to Serie B with a 30-point deduction, Fiorentina and Lazio were also sent to the Second Division with penalties of 12 and seven points respectively. Milan were deemed to be the least guilty side, but still face the prospect of starting next season in Serie A with minus 15 points. All clubs are due to appeal.



Bologna President Alfredo Cazzola has called for his side to be promoted to Serie A due to the scandal. The Rossoblu spent last term in the Second Division, but now that the 2004-05 season has been declared void the club’s chief believes that their relegation was also invalid.

“I believe that we’ll get what we deserve,” Cazzola claimed. “Our position is the same as it ever has been and ever will be – we’re waiting for the damage that has been done to us to be recognised. We’ve started to prepare our case and we’re asking to be readmitted to Serie A as we were relegated in a season of foul play.”

At present Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina stand to be relegated, but rather than promoting Bologna, last year’s bottom three of Messina, Lecce and Treviso will avoid the drop.

View the 2004-05 table here >>>

The Punishments

Friday 14 July 2006
After nine days of proceedings, the fates of four of Italy's top football clubs were now in the hands of a tribunal who decided on the punishments that should be handed out to Fiorentina, Juventus, Lazio and Milan. The President of the Federal Appeals Commission Cesare Ruperto read out the sentances:

Juventus
- Demoted to Serie B.
- Deducted 30 points for 2006-07 season.
- Kicked out of the Champions League.
- Stripped of the 2004-05 and 2005-06 titles.
- Former Director General Luciano Moggi banned for five years.
- Former Director Antonio Giraudo banned for five years.

Fiorentina
- Demoted to Serie B.
- Deducted 12 points for 2006-07 season.
- Kicked out of the Champions League.
- President Andrea Della Valle banned for three and a half years.
- Honorary President Diego Della Valle banned for four years.

Lazio
- Demoted to Serie B.
- Deducted 7 points for 2006-07 season.
- Kicked out of the UEFA Cup.
- President Claudio Lotito banned for three years.

AC Milan
- Remain in Serie A.
- Deducted 15 points for 2006-07 season.
- Deducted 44 points from 2005-06.
- Kicked out of the Champions League.
- Vice-President Adriano Galliani banned for one year.
- Club official Leonardo Meani banned for three and a half years.

Referees' Association (AIA) Officials
- Refereeing designator Paolo Bergamo deferred.
- Refereeing designator Pierluigi Pairetto banned for two and half years.
- Former President Tullio Lanese banned for two and a half years.
- Vice-commissioner Gennaro Mazzei banned for one year.
- Observer Pietro Ingargiola cautioned.

Referees
- Massimo De Santis banned for four and a half years.
- Paolo Dondarini banned for three and a half years.
- Gianluca Paparesta banned for three months.

Linesmen
- Claudio Puglisi banned for one year.
- Fabrizio Babini banned for one year.

Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Officials
- Former President Franco Carraro banned for four and a half years.
- Former Vice-President Innocenzo Mazzini banned for five years

Read the full story here >>>



Tuesday 25 July 2006
The four clubs implicated in the scandal had their punishments slashed on appeal. The Federal Court returned Fiorentina and Lazio back to Serie A, while cut the points penalties for Juventus in Serie B and Milan in Serie A. The President of the Federal Court Piero Sandulli read out the sentances:

Juventus
- Remain in Serie B.
- 17 points deducted for 2006-07 season, rather than 30.
- 3 matches will be played on a neutral ground.
- Fined 120,000 Euros.
- Kicked out of the Champions League.
- 2004-05 & 2005-06 titles stripped.
- Former Director General Luciano Moggi banned for five years.
- Former Director Antonio Giraudo banned for five years.

Fiorentina
- Reinstated to Serie A.
- 19 points deducted for 2006-07 season.
- 3 matches will be played on a neutral ground.
- Fined 120,000 Euros.
- 30 points deducted from 2005-06 season.
- Kicked out of the Champions League.
- President Andrea Della Valle banned for three years.
- Honorary President Diego Della Valle banned for three years.
- Club official Sandro Mencucci banned for two years and six months.

Lazio
- Reinstated to Serie A.
- 11 points deducted for 2006-07 season.
- 2 matches will be played on a neutral ground.
- Fined 120,000 Euros.
- 30 points deducted from 2005-06 season.
- Kicked out of the Champions League.
- President Claudio Lotito banned for two years and six months.

AC Milan
- Remain in Serie A.
- 8 points deducted for 2006-07 season, rather than 15.
- 1 match will be played on a neutral ground.
- 30 points deducted from 2005-06 season.
- 'Qualify' for the Champions' League preliminary stage.
- Vice-President Adriano Galliani banned for nine months.
- Club official Leonardo Meani banned for two years and six months.

Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Officials
- Former President Franco Carraro fined 80,000 Euros.
- Former Vice-President Innocenzo Mazzini banned for five years.

Referees' Association (AIA) Officials, Referees & Linesmen
- Former President Tullio Lanese banned for two years and six months.
- Refereeing designator Pierluigi Pairetto banned for three years.
- Vice-commissioner Gennaro Mazzei banned for six months.
- Observer Pietro Ingargiola was cautioned.
- Referee Massimo De Santis banned for four years.
- Referee Paolo Dondarini was cleared.
- Referee Gianluca Paparesta banned for three months.
- Linesmen Fabrizio Babini banned for six months.
- Linesmen Claudio Puglisi banned for six months.

Read the full story here >>>



Thursday 17 August 2006
Reggina become the fifth Serie A club ordered to stand trial over allegations of sporting fraud. Serie B outfit Arezzo were also indicted. Here are the punishments handed out by the Federal Appeals Commission:

Reggina
- Remain in Serie A.
- 15 points deducted for 2006-07 season.
- Fined 68,000 Euros.
- President Pasquale Foti banned for two and a half years.

Arezzo
- Remain in Serie B.
- 9 points deducted for 2006-07 season.
- AC Milan official Leonardo Meani banned for 3 months.

Referees' Association (AIA) Officials
- Vice-commissioner Gennaro Mazzei banned for 3 years.

Linesmen
- Stefano Titomanlio banned for 3 years.

Read the full story here >>>



Friday 18 to Tuesday 29 August 2006
Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio, Milan and their officials lodged appeals to the CONI Court of Conciliation and Arbitration to have their punishments reduced. If the clubs and officials were not satisfied with CONI, the highest degree in sporting justice, they could have decided to appeal to the civil courts, namely the Lazio TAR Tribunal. These were the outcome of the Conciliation meeting with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC):

Clubs
All four clubs failed in their attempt to overturn their punishments in the Calciopoli scandal. The appeals were held at the Italian Olympic Committee's arbitration court at the Stadio Olympic in Rome, but the FIGC refused to back down. CONI brought together the clubs' directors and the FIGC to seek an agreement regarding the appeal, but all four meetings finished with negative outcomes. The quartet of clubs will now take the appeals process to the CONI arbitration.

Juve's appeal fails: Read the full story here >>>
Lazio's appeal fails: Read the full story here >>>
Milan & Fiorentina's appeals fail: Read the full story here >>>



Saturday 26 August 2006
Reggina and Serie B outfit Arezzo both appealed against the penalties handed out to them for their part in the Calciopoli scandal. These were the result by the Federal Court of those appeals:

Reggina
- Remain in Serie A.
- 15 points deducted for 2006-07 season.
- Fined 68,000 Euros.
- President Pasquale Foti banned for two and a half years.

Arezzo
- Remain in Serie B.
- 6 points deducted for 2006-07 season, rather than 9.
- AC Milan official Leonardo Meani banned for 3 months.

Referees' Association (AIA) Officials
- Vice-commissioner Gennaro Mazzei banned for 3 years.

Linesmen
- Stefano Titomanlio banned for 3 years.

Read the full story here >>>



Wednesday 18 October 2006
Reggina lodged an appeal to the CONI Court of Conciliation to have their punishment reduced but their meeting with the FIGC failed.

Reggina
President Lillo Foti and the Federation met to discuss the situation and find common ground. However, the discussion failed and Reggina’s 15-point penalty remains with a two and a half year ban for Foti. The club has decided to go to the CONI Court of Abritration.

Read the full story here >>>



Friday 27 October 2006
Juventus, Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina appeared in front of the Italian Olympic Committee's (CONI) Arbitration Court on 11/12 October. The four clubs were punished in the aftermath of the Calciopoli scandal and are fighting for a reduction of the sanctions imposed against them – with the Arbitration Court being the last degree in appeal within the sporting justice system. Here is the outcome of the arbitration:

Juventus
- Demoted to Serie B.
- Deducted 9 points for 2006-07 season, rather than 17.
- Kicked out of the Champions League.
- Stripped of the 2004-05 and 2005-06 titles.

Fiorentina
- Remain in Serie A.
- Deducted 15 points for 2006-07 season, rather than 19.
- 30 points deducted from 2005-06 season
- Kicked out of the Champions League.

Lazio
- Remain in Serie A.
- Deducted 3 points for 2006-07 season, rather than 8.
- 30 points deducted from 2005-06 season
- Kicked out of the UEFA Cup.

AC Milan
- Remain in Serie A.
- Deducted 8 points for 2006-07 season.
- 30 points deducted from 2005-06 season.
- 'Qualify' for the Champions' League preliminary stage.
- Vice-President Adriano Galliani banned for one year.
- Club official Leonardo Meani banned for three and a half years.

Read the full story here >>>



Tuesday 12 December 2006
Juventus, Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina appeared in front of the Italian Olympic Committee's (CONI) Arbitration Court on 11/12 October. The four clubs were punished in the aftermath of the Calciopoli scandal and are fighting for a reduction of the sanctions imposed against them – with the Arbitration Court being the last degree in appeal within the sporting justice system. Here is the outcome of the arbitration:

Reggina
- Remain in Serie A.
- 11 points deducted for 2006-07 season, rather than 15.
- Fined 68,000 Euros.
- President Pasquale Foti banned for two and a half years.

Arezzo
- Remain in Serie B.
- 6 points deducted for 2006-07 season.

Read the full story here >>>

VERDICTS - Juve, Fiorentina & Lazio demoted, Milan escape

With World Cup victory celebrations still echoing through the streets of Italy, a sports tribunal in Rome shattered a nation’s euphoria by demoting three top Serie A teams for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal on Friday July 14.

Juventus, Italy’s most successful club, were plunged into a nightmare scenario. As well as being relegated to Serie B, they were given a 30-point penalty, which means that they have almost no hope of immediate promotion and may even have to battle against relegation to Serie C. The Turin club, whose former general manager, Luciano Moggi, was said to be the ringleader of the match-fixing network, were also stripped of the championships they have won in the past two seasons. Resisting calls for leniency, the five-man panel from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) also sent Lazio and Fiorentina down to Serie B. They will start next season with seven and 12-point deductions respectively. AC Milan, owned by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, will be allowed to stay in Serie A, but with a 15-point penalty. All four clubs lost their places in European competition next season as the authorities cracked down on corruption.

The sentences, read out in a Rome hotel by Cesare Ruperto (pictured), the tribunal head, were lighter than those requested by the federation prosecutor Stefano Palazzi. He had urged that Juve be relegated to the third division and the other three to be be relagted into the Second division with heavy points deductions.

The trial focused on the repeated attempts of club executives to interfere with the selection of officials who, according to prosecutors, were relied upon to affect results thanks to apparently minor decisions. Moggi was banned from taking any job in football for five years. He resigned soon after the scandal broke, as did Antonio Giraudo, the Juventus managing director, who received the same punishment. AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani was also punished as a result of the investigation. Galliani was handed a one-year suspension from all football activities while Lazio president Claudio Lotito was banned for three years and his Fiorentina counterpart, Andrea Della Valle, was given a four-year punishment. Referee Massimo De Santis, who had been due to officiate at the World Cup before becoming embroiled in the investigation, has been suspended from football for four and a half years and former FIGC President Franco Carraro was also handed a four-year suspension. They all denied charges of sporting fraud and unfair conduct.

The four clubs will have up to five days to appeal to the Federal Court but a final verdict has to be announced before July 25, when the FIGC must give UEFA, Europe's football governing body, the list of teams that will compete in the continental club competitions in the 2006/07 campaign.

Subject to any appeals, the rulings mean that Inter Milan and Roma will gain automatic qualification to the Champions League, with Chievo and Palermo going into the qualifiers for the tournament. Livorno, Parma and Empoli will be entered into the UEFA Cup. In addition, Lecce, Messina, and Treviso will avoid relegation to Serie B and keep their places in the top flight as a result of the verdict.


Here’s a brief rundown of all the sentences handed out...

Juventus
Juve were demoted to last place in the 2004-05 season and stripped of that season’s title. Their 2005-06 Serie A title win has also been wiped out. They will start next season in Serie B with a 30-point deduction. They have also been banned from the Champions League. Former directors Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo have been banned from football for five years.

Fiorentina
The Viola have been relegated to Serie B with a 12-point penalty for the 2006-07 campaign. President Andrea Della Valle has been banned for three and half years. His brother Diego, the club’s honorary President, is suspended for four years.

Lazio
The Rome club are relegated to Serie B with a seven-point penalty for the 2006-07 campaign. President Claudio Lotito is banned for three years.

AC Milan
Milan stay in Serie A, but will start next season with a 15-point deduction. They were also deducted 44 points from last season’s point tally which means they 'failed' to qualify for the Champions League. Vice-President Adriano Galliani is banned for a year, while official Leonardo Meani is suspended for three and a half years.

Referees' Association (AIA) Officials
Refereeing designator Paolo Bergamo is deferred while Pierluigi Pairetto, is banned for two and half years. Former President Tullio Lanese is banned for two and a half years, Vice-commissioner Gennaro Mazzei is banned for a year and observer Pietro Ingargiola is cautioned.

Referees
Massimo De Santis is banned for four and half years, Paolo Dondarini banned for three and half years and Gianluca Paparesta is banned for three months. Pasquale Rodomonti, Paolo Bertini, Domenico Messina, Gianluca Rocchi and Paolo Tagliavento were all cleared of any wrongdoing.

Linesmen
Claudio Puglisi and Fabrizio Babini have been banned for a year.

Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Officials
Former President Franco Carraro has been banned for four and half years. Vice-President Innocenzo Mazzini is suspended for a full five years.


View the sentences in full (Italian) >>>
View the 2004-05 & 2005-06 table here >>>
View the revised 2005-06 table here (pending appeals) >>>

Old Lady to go down?

Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio will all be demoted to Serie B for their roles in the Calciopoli scandal that has tarnished Italian football, according to today's Gazzetta dello Sport.

The verdict of the long-running trial will not be officially revealed until 6pm this evening, but the newspaper claimed to already know the punishments that will be dished out.

"The verdict will be this: Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio will be relegated to Serie B," claimed the Gazzetta confidently. "AC Milan will stay in Serie A but will not be allowed to take part in the Champions League."

Without disclosing its source, the newspaper went on to insist it even knew the point deductions that each club would receive. Juventus, it said, will begin their Serie B campaign on minus 20 points, while Fiorentina will be penalised 10 and Lazio six or seven. Milan, meanwhile, will be docked 10 to 15 points.

After the verdict is formally announced tonight, the teams will have three days to appeal to a federal court of arbitration; a final decision must be reached by July 24.

The confirmation that three of the clubs are to be relegated is likely to spark a feeding frenzy as Europe's biggest teams close in to snatch talents such as Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta and Gianluigi Buffon from Juventus and last season's Serie A top-scorer, Luca Toni, from Fiorentina.

FAQ: Calciopoli Scandal 2006

What are the origins of the Calciopoli?
The allegations were uncovered as prosecutors investigated doping allegations at Juventus. That probe, which resulted in club doctor Riccardo Agricola (who was cleared later from all charges by a civil court of law) being found guilty of administering drugs to players in the mid-90s, resulted in phone taps being ordered by Turin prosecutors.

As a result, Juventus have been implicated alongside AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio.

Juventus' general manager Luciano Moggi is at the centre of the scandal although he has protested his innocence. The suspected matches are 19 Serie A matches from the 2004-05 season and 14 Serie A matches from the 2005-06 season.


Who are the people that Moggi's recorded conversations were with?
1) Pierluigi Pairetto, vice chairman of the UEFA Referees Committee: Moggi allegedly pressured him into appointing match referees who would favour Juventus.

2) Giuseppe Pisanu, Italian minister of the interior: Moggi allegedly wanted him not to postpone matches when Pope John Paul II was in ill health, in particular one match when Fiorentina would have had four players absent.

3) Marcello Lippi, coach of the Italian national football team: Moggi allegedly encouraged him to select players represented by GEA World, a sports agency founded by Moggi's son Alessandro.


Who are the players whose transfers are investigated?
Among the 41 players whose transfer details have been requested are French midfielder Zinedine Zidane, who was signed by Real Madrid from Juve in 2001 for a world record 75.1 million euros, Real Sociedad striker Darko Kovacevic, Benfica's Fabrizio Miccoli and Dutch goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar, currently with Manchester United, but signed from Juventus by Fulham.


Who are the other characters, else than Moggi, who are accused in this scandal?
ANTONIO GIRAUDO - Former chief executive of Juventus. Also features prominently in the phone taps. Also under investigation by magistrates in Turin on suspicion of "false accounting" in relation to Juventus's transfer activities.

ADRIANO GALLIANI - Vice-president of AC Milan and former president of the Italian Football League, the organization that looks after the interests of clubs in Italy's top two divisions. His dual role had led to accusations of a conflict of interests.

LEONARDO MEANI - A member of Milan's management. Newspapers published phone taps in which he spoke to the official assigning linesmen in April 2005, complaining about a linesman he selected after Milan lost to Siena.

DIEGO DELLA VALLE and ANDREA DELLA VALLE - Diego Della Valle is the owner of Fiorentina. His brother Andrea is the club's president. In the phone taps the brothers complain about refereeing decisions with Moggi and FIGC official Paolo Bergamo in the 2004-05 season when the club risked relegation.

SANDRO MENCUCCI - Director general of Fiorentina. In phone taps dating from the end of the 2004-05 season he tells Bergamo and Innocenzo Mazzini (see both below) that Diego Della Valle will not continue to promote the interests of Serie A's smaller clubs in return for favours from referees.

CLAUDIO LOTITO - President of Lazio and its biggest shareholder. In the phone taps he tells former FIGC vice-president Innocenzo Mazzini that Diego Della Valle has made him "a bandit's offer" in relation to their game against Fiorentina at the end of the 2004-05 season. Lotito is also under investigation by magistrates in Milan on suspicion of market-rigging involving Lazio shares.

FRANCO CARRARO - Former FIGC president. Carraro resigned on May 8. He was questioned by magistrates on suspicion of knowing about the manipulation of refereeing appointments but doing nothing to stop it.

INNOCENZO MAZZINI - Former vice-president of the FIGC. Resigned on May 11. In intercepted telephone conversations with Moggi he makes disparaging references to Carraro and discusses which Juventus delegate will be attending a meeting on refereeing appointments.

COSIMO MARIA FERRI - A member of the FIGC's commission for economic disputes. Charged with knowing about the manipulation of refereeing appointments in relation to Lazio matches but doing nothing to stop it.

PIERLUIGI PAIRETTO - The FIGC official in charge of assigning referees to Serie A games during the 2004-05 season and a former member of UEFA's refereeing commission. In the phone taps he tells Moggi the name of the referee for Juventus's Champions League match against Ajax Amsterdam in September 2004 two weeks before the game. UEFA rules state the name of a referee is to be communicated only 48 hours before the match.

PAOLO BERGAMO - A former FIGC official. Worked with Pairetto during the 2004-05 season, assigning referees for Serie A games.

TULLIO LANESE - Former president of the Italian Referees Association. Investigated by FIGC magistrates on suspicion of knowing about Moggi's manipulation of referees but doing nothing to stop it.

GENNARO MAZZEI - A former FIGC official in charge of assigning linesmen to Serie A matches.

PIETRO INGARGIOLA - Former observer for the Italian Referees Association. In phone taps he claimed to have been present when Moggi and Giraudo locked referee Gianluca Paparesta in his dressing room following Juventus's 2-1 defeat by Reggina in November 2004. Ingargiola did not report the incident.

MASSIMO DE SANTIS - Italian referee. De Santis was the FIGC's proposed referee for the World Cup, but was withdrawn, along with two linesmen, after he was drawn into the match-fixing investigation.

PAOLO BERTINI - Serie A referee

PAOLO DONDARINI - Serie A referee

DOMENICO MESSINA - Serie A referee

GIANLUCA PAPARESTA - Serie A referee

GIANLUCA ROCCHI - Serie A referee

PASQUALE RODOMONTI - Serie A referee

PAOLO TAGLIVENTO - Serie A referee

FABRIZIO BABINI and CLAUDIO PUGLISI - Leonardo Meani asked Gennaro Mazzei for Babini and Puglisi to be assigned to Milan's match against Chievo Verona in April 2005. Puglisi was a noted Milan fan. Meani got his wish and his team beat Chievo 1-0.


What are the accustaions that maybe targeted to Moggi?
a) Interfering with refs in Serie A, the Champions League and junior football.
b) Telling the Italy coach to pick players represented by his son’s agency.
c) Locking a ref in his dressing room.
d) Sending secret funds to the Vatican bank for safety.
e) Telling his contacts at the anti-drug labs to falsify Juve players’ dope tests.
f) Instructing TV producers to edit and change virtual reality replays of contentious moments in Juve matches to favour the Bianconeri.


Are all the investigations going on in the same city?
No, There are four criminal investigations going on which are linked to the scandal in Italian football. They are in:

NAPLES - This started after the telephone conversations were leaked to the press. The central figure is Luciano Moggi, but magistrates are questioning 41 people after identifying 19 matches which they believe to be suspicious.

ROME - Concerning GEA, the largest company of football agents in Italy with over 220 professional footballers and coaches on their books. It is run by Moggi's son Alessandro.

TURIN - Magistrates are looking into the transfer dealings of Juventus. Moggi and another former Juventus director, Antonio Giraudo, are suspected of falsifying accounts and tax evasion.

PARMA - Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and three former players, Antonio Chimenti, Mark Iuliano and Enzo Maresca, are under investigation for alleged illegal gambling on Serie A matches.


What are the direct consequences?
1) Many resignations in the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) including president Franco Carraro and vice-president Innocenzo Mazzini
2) Juventus' entire board of directors resigned on 11 May. Moggi resigned shortly after Juve won the 2006 Serie A championship on 14 May.
3) The share of Juve has went down more than 40 percent during the period after the first transcriptions were revealed. 4) The general opinion in Italy was much affected by the allegations. Even the host of Italy's most popular soccer show, Aldo Biscardi, has resigned amid allegations that he collaborated with Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi to boost the club's image on television.


What's the situation of other clubs involved in the case?
There are many clubs which are involved in this case, and the degree of their punishment will be based on how much they are thought to be involved in match-fixing…

1) AC MILAN: Milan started this case by attacking Juve and demanding to take the last 2 scudetti won by Juve because they thought that only Juve would be punished. Now, Milan, knowing their destiny will be attached to others in this case, are attacking the whole trial which...

According to the transcripts, Milan chairman Adriano Galliani — who is also president of the Italian soccer league — apparently had club management member Leonardo Meani make arrangements with referees commission secretary Manfredi Martino.

Meani was reportedly told by Martino two days before a game against Chievo Verona that Gianluca Paparesta would officiate the match. Martino also informed Meani that the team's linesman of choice, Claudio Puglisi, was assigned to the game.

2) LAZIO: Lotito is under investigation by magistrates in Milan on suspicion of market-rigging involving Lazio shares.

3) FIORENTINA: A telephone conversation between the recently-resigned FIGC vice-president Innocenzo Mazzini and a Fiorentina official Sandro Mencucci, in which the former explained to the latter what the club needed to do to stay in the first division. Fiorentina just managed to stay in the first division in the 2004/05 season with the same number of points as relegated Bologna.

4) SAMPDORIA: under suspicion over its 3-0 win over Fiorentina in February last year, which involved a referee allegedly picked to favour the Genoa club


How are the Italian clubs affected in the European tournaments?
The involved teams could be found ineligible to compete in the 2006-07 season of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, and the Italian Cup. Based on their final league positions, Juventus and Milan would enter the Champions League, Inter Milan and Fiorentina would enter the third qualifying round of the Champions League, and Roma, Lazio, and Chievo would be eligible for the UEFA Cup.

The list of Italian participants in next season's competitions was due to UEFA on 5 June. On June 6, the FIGC officially withdrew from the 2006 Intertoto Cup, costing Palermo a place in the third round of the competition, citing the fact that the 2005-06 Serie A standings could not be confirmed by the 5 June deadline. FIFA have given FIGC an informal July 25 deadline to confirm the standings or face sanctions in the two larger European competitions.


What are the losses that Juve may suffer as a consequence of this scandal?
1) Well, the image of the club has been much hurt, and many years will have to come until people all over the world start to forget...

2) The club risks being relegated to Serie B or even to third division Serie C.

3) Contracts with Mediaset and Sky Italia, which has satellite broadcast rights, have clauses that allow the terms to be renegotiated if Juventus is relegated to a lower division

4) A 10 million euro contract for next season's mobile phone rights with Hutchison Whampoa Ltd unit 3 Italia could be cancelled if Juventus are relegated.

5) Nike merchandising deal worth 14 million euros a year could be cancelled if Juventus drops out of Serie A for two consecutive seasons, which would be the case if it was relegated as low as Serie C.

6) 20 million euros a year shirt sponsorship deal could be withdrawn by oil company Tamoil.

7) Investors, media companies, the players and fans could all have claims for compensation against Juventus, which may lead to the club to announce being broke up...

8) Delays in building Juventus' new stadium will mean the loss of 20-25 million euros a year expected from a major sponsor.


Who are the beneficiaries of such scandal in Italy?
Well, it is very clear that the whole Italian football has been hit by this scandal, but the scandal can be useful for some parties like:

1) Internazionale: The club which waited since 1989 to see the scudetto in their captains' hands seems so eager to capture the last two scudetti won by Juve claiming that they are the best 'honest' club in Serie A.

2) Clubs which will replace the relegated clubs in next season's Champions League and UEFA Cup.


Is this the first scandal regarding Italian football?
Of course, no..

TORINO STRIPPED OF THE SERIE A TITLE, 1927
At the end of the 1926-27 season, Juventus's city rivals, Torino, celebrated their first Serie A title before a newspaper article prompted the Italian Football Federation to investigate claims that the club had bribed opposition players. The investigation found that a Torino official had paid Juventus defender Luigi Allemandi 50,000 lire to underperform in the derby, which Torino won 2-1. Torino were stripped of the title and Allemandi was banned for life, but he was granted an amnesty the following year when the Italian football team won bronze at the Olympic Games.

AC MILAN, LAZIO RELEGATED FOR MATCH-FIXING, 1980
The match-fixing scandal that broke at the end of the 1979-80 season rivaled the scale of the current one. AC Milan president Felice Colombo and players from Lazio, Avellino, Perugia, Genoa and Lecce were arrested for match-fixing and illegal betting. Colombo was banned from football for life. Several players, including former national team goalie Enrico Albertosi and Italy's 1982 World Cup hero Paolo Rossi, also received bans.

THE JUVENTUS DOPING TRIAL, 2001-present
The controversy began in July 1998 when Czech coach Zdenek Zeman, then in charge of AS Roma, told Italian magazine L'Espresso that "Italian football has to get out of the pharmacy", and pointed a finger at Juventus. The resulting investigation by Turin magistrate Raffaele Guariniello concluded club doctor Riccardo Agricola had doped players between 1994 and 1998. Agricola was found guilty and handed a 22-month suspended prison term at the end of the first trial in November 2004. That sentence was overturned on appeal in December 2005. A third and definitive ruling is expected later this year.

GENOA SENT DOWN FROM SERIE A TO SERIE C1, 2005
At the end of last season Italy's oldest club, Genoa, won promotion back into the top flight after finishing top of Serie B. The celebrations were cut short when a federation investigation found the club guilty of paying Venezia 250,000 euros to guarantee a win in their final game of the season. Instead of going up, Genoa were demoted to Serie C1, Italy's third division.


Is match-fixing a trademark for Italy?
Of course not. Here is a list of major soccer match-fixing scandals in recent months:

GERMANY - German referee Robert Hoyzer, who admitted fixing matches, was sentenced to two years and five months in prison last November for his role in the biggest match-fixing scandal to hit the country in more than 30 years. Hoyzer and another referee, Dominik Marks, were found guilty of rigging games in return for payment from Ante Sapina, the Croatian ringleader of a two million euro ($2.34 million) betting fraud. Former Bundesliga player Steffen Karl was convicted of accepting money from Sapina to throw matches and received a nine-month suspended sentence.

BELGIUM - Five Belgian clubs are under police investigation along with many officials, players and individuals connected with the game. The probe began after internet betting exchange Betfair logged heavy betting patterns relating to La Louviere's 3-1 win over St Truiden on Oct. 29, 2005. Both clubs have denied any involvement. The Belgian FA launched their own match-fixing investigation in February after a programme by Flemish national broadcaster VRT alleged seven first division matches this season were fixed.

AUSTRIA - Austrian police are investigating two alleged attempts at match rigging involving the coach of first division Sturm Graz and one of the team's players. Coach Michael Petrovic and striker Bojan Filipovic are accused of accepting bribes from a Germany-based gambling syndicate in return for trying to throw the league matches against Salzburg and Austria Vienna. Both deny any wrongdoing.

CZECH REPUBLIC - Seven referees and three officials were convicted in January of giving and taking bribes to fix the matches of first division team Synot, now called Slovacko, in the 2003/2004 season. Ivan Hornik, the sporting director of Czech soccer club Viktoria Zizkov received a suspended seven-month sentence in March and was fined 900,000 Czech crowns ($37,690) for offering bribes to referees and soccer officials.

GREECE - Croatian Sapina, convicted of involvement in match-fixing in Germany, has been charged with fraud in connection with a UEFA Cup tie in Greece in 2004. UEFA, European soccer's governing body, launched a probe in late 2004 into the Panionios-Dinamo Tbilisi match, which Panionios won 5-2 after trailing 1-0 at halftime. British betting companies at the time noted unusually heavy betting on such a scenario, prompting the investigation. While UEFA officially never closed the investigation, it has not announced any findings.

VIETNAM - Vietnamese police have filed criminal charges against six footballers accused of fixing a match against Myanmar at the Southeast Asian Games in 2005. State media said two of the players had confessed to agreeing to ensure Vietnam beat Myanmar by no more than one goal in the group stage match, allowing bookmakers to offer attractive odds on the country winning by more than a goal. Vietnam beat Myanmar 1-0 but lost to Thailand in the final held in the Philippines.

There are also many examples in other European countries such as France and England, as-well as many South American and African countries.

Source: Juventuz

Italy awaits on the verdicts

A verdict into the Italian match-fixing scandal will be delivered in the next few days. A judge in Rome will decide the fate of Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina, who face the threat of relegation from Serie A. The decision will affect 13 members of Italy's triumphant World Cup squad, who play for the clubs accused of influencing referee appointments. Juve may also be stripped of their last two titles - if they are found guilty of influencing referees. The four clubs have denied the accusations.

The tribunal in Rome is investigating charges that the clubs, their management, football officials and referees tried to influence the outcome of matches by interfering with the appointment of officials. In May transcripts were published of telephone conversations between former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi and Italian Football Association officials, discussing refereeing appointments in the 2004-05 season. Italy's Football Federation's (FIGC) prosecutor Stefano Palazzi also charged 26 individuals for sporting fraud and violating fairness and probity.

The prosecutor has called for Juventus to be relegated to the third division, the other three teams to be demoted to the second division and for all four teams to be docked points next season. The judge could also hand out fines, bans from European competitions, points deductions as well as relegation and the stripping of titles.

The lawyer for Juventus, Cesare Zaccone, said on Wednesday the club might agree to relegation to Italy's second division, if found guilty.

In 1982, Italy included striker Paolo Rossi in their World Cup squad, despite an earlier ban for his involvement in a corruption scandal. He went on to be top scorer as they won the tournament in Spain.

Italian minister hints at amnesty

Italy's justice minister suggested an amnesty may be suitable for clubs named in an alleged match-fixing scandal so as not to punish players from the squad who have reached Sunday's World Cup final against France.

"The government cannot get involved in this issue," Justice Minister Clemente Mastella told the Corriere della Sera newspaper on Friday. "But I do think the majority of fans want an amnesty. As a fan, let me say this: is it fair that (Fabio) Cannavaro and (Alessandro) Del Piero and so many others should play in the third division after everything they have done?".

Cannavaro and Del Piero are two of several Azzurri players on the books of Juventus. The Serie A champions face possible relegation to the third division for what a prosecutor says was the club's role in the scandal.

The club denies wrong-doing but one of their lawyers has suggested relegation to the second division might be apt punishment if Juve are found guilty by a sports tribunal.

There have been several calls for an amnesty for Juventus and the other three clubs caught up in the scandal, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina, given the efforts of Italy's players at the World Cup in Germany.

But earlier this week Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri said the proposal was "idiocy".

Trail draws to a close

The match-fixing trial in Rome has come to a close, with Judge Cesare Ruperto (pictured) and the Federal Appeal Commission now retiring to the council rooms to consider their verdicts. After nine days of proceedings, the fates of four of Italy's top football clubs are now in the hands of a tribunal who will decide on their punishments should they be found guilty of sporting fraud.

Wire-taps of phone conversations between former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi and top Italian officials have sparked the biggest crisis in Serie A football for a quarter of a century, and the consequences could be severe for the teams involved. Chief prosecutor Stefano Palazzi has demanded that the Bianconeri be relegated to Serie C with a points deduction of six, with Serie B and 15 points knocked off for Lazio and Fiorentina and Serie B and 3 points deducted for Milan.

A judgement could be reached as early as Monday, just one day after the World Cup final where the Italian national side will take on France for the game's biggest prize, and prosecutors are also seeking heavy sanctions for the 25 individuals involved in the scandal.

Most observers expect Juve to be thrown out of Serie A. A lawyer for the Turin giants said the club might agree to relegation to Italy's second division - if found guilty, however Judge Ruperto has stated that a decision has not yet been made. "At minimum we will need three days, maximum 15," he said. "The verdict is not already written as someone says."

Ruperto also denied that the hearings, which had no time for witnesses or match footage, were proceeding too quickly, stating: "Nobody here is smothering the rights of the defence."

Defence lawyers insisted today that the case should be suspended, arguing that only a tiny percentage of Moggi's calls had been observed. Paolo Trofino also highlighted the role that the under-fire Juve officials have played in developing the stars that are currently providing the national team with such sterling performances in Germany. "The calls on which the investigation was based are approximately 40," he said. "We don't know what was in the rest... I'm asking you to suspend proceedings until we know what is in the other 99,960. On Sunday night, when Italy play France in the World Cup final, you will see on your television screens that more than a third of the players on the pitch were employed by Moggi and [Antonio] Giraudo. You will see (Italian coach Marcello) Lippi, who coached Juventus."

Any appeals must be processed before July 27 when UEFA must receive a list of which teams are entering European competitions next season.