Calciopoli Scandal 2006 (Archive)

Calciopoli: New charges for "organisers of a criminal association"

2007-07-10T20:17:00.000+01:00

Naples magistrates have on Tuesday completed their latest investigations into the referee-rigging "Calciopoli" scandal and have charged 37 people including former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi.

Last year a sporting tribunal stripped Juventus of their last two Serie A titles and demoted them to Serie B after being found guilty, while AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, Reggina and second division outfit Arezzo all started last season with points deductions.

Moggi, the alleged ringleader of attempts to arrange friendly match officials for some teams' games, is accused of "sporting fraud" and of being part of a criminal organisation.

This latest investigation is a separate probe to that held last summer. According to the prosecutors, there are 29 games from the 2004-05 Serie A season and one from Serie B that have been investigated.

Ex Juve director Antonio Giraudo, Milan official Leonardo Meani, Fiorentina owners Andrea Della Valle and Diego Della Valle, Lazio president Claudio Lotito, and former Italian Federation (FIGC) chiefs Franco Carraro and Innocenzo Mazzini were accused of being some of "the creators and organisers of a criminal association" by prosecutors Filippo Beatrice and Giuseppe Narducci.

Former referee-designators Paolo Bergamo and Pier Luigi Pairetto - both suspected of fixing friendly match-officials for Moggi, three referees - Massimo De Santis, Salvatore Racalbuto and Pasquale Rodomonti - and two linesmen were among those prosecutors want to bring to trial.

The case will now go to a preliminary hearing, where a judge will decide whether to grant the prosecutors' requests.

When news of the new Naples investigation broke in April, fans feared it would lead to further sanctions for clubs following the demotions and points deductions suffered last season. It now looks highly unlikely that clubs will be hit a second time but Moggi may be among those facing further punishment, possibly including prison.

CHARGED: Marcello Ambrosino, Duccio Baglioni, Paolo Bergamo, Paolo Bertini, Franco Carraro, Stefano Cassara, Enrico Ceniccola, Antonio Dattilo, Massimo De Santis, Andrea Della Valle, Diego Della Valle, Paolo Dondarini, Mariano Fabiani, Maria Grazia Fazi, Giuseppe Foschetti, Pasquale Foti, Marco Gabriele, Silvio Gemignani, Francesco Ghirelli, Antonio Giraudo, Alessandro Griselli, Tullio Lanese, Claudio Lotito, Gennaro Mazzei, Innocenzo Mazzini, Leonardo Meani, Sandro Mencucci, Domenico Messina, Luciano Moggi, Pierluigi Pairetto, Tiziano Pieri, Claudio Puglisi, Salvatore Racalbuto, Gianluca Rocchi, Pasquale Rodomonti, Ignazio Scardina and Stefano Titomanlio.

These latest charges came on the same day a Rome court announced that many of Italian football's biggest names will be called to give evidence in the trial regarding GEA World, a players' management agency run by Moggi's son Alessandro.

Alessandro and Luciano Moggi are both on trial in Rome, along with Davide Lippi, the son of Italy's World Cup-winning coach Marcello, and three other people. They are accused of gaining an illegal hold over the Serie A transfer market by intimidating players into dropping their existing agents and signing up with GEA.

The witnesses include: Marcello Lippi; Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti; former Real Madrid and Juventus boss Fabio Capello; Juventus players David Trezeguet, Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero; Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro and former Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti.

News gathered from: ANSA, La Gazzetta dello Sport, C4 Football Italia, Reuters & AP.

Seven refs suspended by AIA

2007-04-19T16:42:00.000+01:00

The Italian Referees’ Association has suspended the seven referees involved in the latest wave of the Calciopoli scandal.

The Naples prosecutors closed their match-fixing probe last week after almost a year and named 48 people suspected of wrongdoing.

The latest findings are now expected to be passed on to Saverio Borrelli, the head of the Italian Football Federation’s (FIGC) investigative team, who might open a new sporting trial.

AIA chief Cesare Gussoni had announced that it would wait for official documentation regarding the accusations before making any decisions.

But the referees’ governing body has now opted to suspend Paolo Bertini, Stefano Cassara, Antonio Dattilo, Marco Gabriele, Gianluca Paparesta, Tiziano Pieri and Salvatore Racalbuto. Assistants Marcello Ambrosino and Duccio Baglioni were also suspended as a precautionary measure.

A total of 39 games from the 2004-05 campaign were among a list of incriminated ties, 15 of which were not previously made known.

Former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi was again at the centre of the scandal after being accused of attempting to influence the outcome of the matches.

The now infamous Bianconeri official is also thought to have provided a number of referees with Swiss SIM cards that were considered safe from wiretapping.

Judge: Juve safe, Messina at risk

2007-04-14T12:15:00.000+01:00

The judge in charge of the first Calciopoli trial assures Juventus cannot be punished again, but Messina could face heavy sanctions.

The Naples public prosecutors concluded their investigation yesterday and released a list of 48 people suspected of wrongdoing, a standard step before possible criminal charges are issued.

Once again the match-fixing allegations rotate around former Juve director general Luciano Moggi, accused of providing Swiss SIM cards to referees and designators to contact them without being traced.

However, the Bianconeri seem to be safe from further punishment after their summer demotion to Serie B.

"What do Juventus risk? Our decision did not examine individual incidents, as we had to rule on a ‘climate’ created to favour Juventus," explained Piero Sandulli, the judge in charge of the Federal Court that sent the club to Serie B with a 17-point penalty – later reduced to nine on appeal.

"If these new games under investigation are part of that ‘climate’, I doubt that Juventus can risk anything else in disciplinary terms. It would be a sporting matter that had already been sentenced."

The same cannot be said of Messina, who play a role in the Naples investigation and were in fact saved from relegation by Calciopoli, as Juve’s demotion freed up a space in the top flight.

"Messina do run a risk in this case," confirmed Sandulli to the ‘Gazzetta dello Sport.’ “We were told nothing about their role from the public prosecutors in the CAF or the Federal Court. Messina’s is a new case there was only the briefest mention of, so I don’t think it was analysed by the sporting justice system."

Sandulli also gave his view on the new element in the Moggi scandal – the Swiss SIM cards used by referees.

"A reserved SIM card in itself is not illegal, even if it is very strange. It becomes sporting fraud if that card is used to make phone calls in order to fix a match or anything else. In any case, it is odd. I doubt these mobile phones were ‘reserved’ to call their wives and say they were coming home for dinner…"

Moggi laughs off new allegations

2007-04-14T12:02:00.000+01:00

Disgraced former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi has laughed off new accusations in the second wave of Calciopoli.

With the closure of the Naples investigation, there are allegations that he provided referees with Swiss SIM cards that were considered ‘safe’ from wiretapping.

"What Swiss cards? I gave nothing to anybody, it’s totally ridiculous," Moggi told ‘La Repubblica’ newspaper.

With the latest accusations levelled at Juventus, there are reports the club could face further sanctions just as it is about to re-enter Serie A following their summer demotion.

"Who said Juve will be involved? No chance! Juventus have already paid more than enough of a price. I really don’t see how they could be dragged into it again, especially as there’s nothing to it."

The ex-director general reserved his most barbed comments for the claims that Salvatore Racalbuto booked Reggina full-back Giandomenico Mesto in the game against Messina so that he would be suspended for the next match with Juve.

"I read that story and fell about laughing. Please – imagine how we were quaking in our boots at the thought of Mesto coming to Turin…"

Naples prosecutors have finally closed their match-fixing probe after almost a year and have named 48 people who they suspect of wrongdoing, a standard step before possible criminal charges are issued.

"The contacts took place via phone calls, thanks to secret SIM cards that were provided by Moggi to designators Paolo Bergamo and Pier Luigi Pairetto, to Messina’s sporting director Mariano Fabiani, to referees Gianluca Paparesta, Salvatore Racalbuto, Stefano Cassarà, Antonio Dattilo, Paolo Bertini, Marco Gabriele, Tiziano Pieri, Massimo De Santis and Marcello Ambrosino," read a statement released by the Naples prosecutors.

Milan sue for 2005 Scudetto

2007-04-13T18:58:00.000+01:00

With the new wave of Calciopoli investigations, Milan vice-President Adriano Galliani announced the club was seeking to legally be awarded the 2005 Scudetto.

The title was stripped from Juventus and left unassigned after the trial that saw the Turin giants demoted in the summer.

However, the latest inquiry has named the 0-0 draw between Juve and Milan at the Stadio Delle Alpi – officiated by referee Paolo Bertini – as one of the games where there were suspicions of wrongdoing.

"I remember that match well. Very well," said Galliani. "From the summer our fans understood what had really happened. We didn’t need this confirmation."

That result effectively ended the Rossoneri’s Scudetto hopes and if the Naples investigation finds Juve responsible of influencing it, we could see another drawn-out court battle.

"The 2004-05 Scudetto? Our lawyers are working on it. I don’t know if it is a Utopia to hope for the title, but it does seem a very complicated affair."

The Delle Alpi encounter took place on December 18, 2004 and was dominated by Milan, who were unable to score as Andriy Shevchenko hit the woodwork. There was also a strong early penalty shout for Jonathan Zebina hauling back Hernan Crespo from getting on the end of a Shevchenko assist and another complaint for Zebina’s tackle on Kakha Kaladze in the area.

Milan were also furious on 66 minutes when Kaka dispossessed Lilian Thuram and was running at the Juve defence with three against two, but the referee stopped play for a free kick rather than giving the advantage.

Nothing to fear, say Juve

2007-04-13T17:08:00.000+01:00

Juventus have issued a statement to reassure fans that today’s twist in the Calciopoli investigation will not see them punished further.

Public prosecutors in Naples are set to provide the Italian Football Federation with new evidence of alleged match-fixing during 2004-05, with some reports claiming that the Bianconeri could be hit again.

However, the Turin giants have this afternoon claimed that they have already paid the price for the misdemeanours of previous employees Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo.

"The news reported in the newspapers today does not change the club’s conviction that it cannot be held responsible for any wrongdoing referred to the past management," read a note on the club’s website.

"The players and the entire Juve staff have faced the Serie B championship with passion and professionalism, overcoming last summer’s crisis.

"The current managers are aware that a very high price was paid and that there are no pending issues with the sporting justice, and this has allowed them to plan the outfit’s future serenely.

"To the fans, who have never faltered in their support, Juventus can confirm their desire to start winning again and return to the very top of the world game."

President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli had already distanced the outfit from claims that they were set for further penalisation after the stripping of two Serie A titles and demotion to Serie B with a nine-point deduction.

"We have to make it clear that Calciopoli didn’t start with Juventus," the chief argued. "We’ve already paid the price for it, perhaps too much.

"After all, the decision to take away the 2006 Scudetto from us and hand it to Inter is still incomprehensible today."

Calciopoli II to hit Juve?

2007-04-13T10:51:00.000+01:00

Juventus could reportedly face more penalties for their part in the Calciopoli scandal after public prosecutors in Naples wrapped up their investigation.

The Italian giants were stripped of their last two League titles and thrown into Serie B with a nine-point penalty, but Bianconeri fans are fearing another summer on trial.

Prosecutors in Naples have finally closed their match-fixing probe after almost a year and have named 48 people who they suspect of wrongdoing, a standard step before possible criminal charges are issued.

It is now expected that their findings will be passed on to Saverio Borrelli, the head of the Italian Football Federation’s (FIGC) investigative team, who may opt to open a new sporting trial as a result.

It’s understood that a total of 39 games from the 2004-05 campaign are among a list of incriminated ties, 15 of which were not previously made known by the Naples investigation.

Among the fresh games under suspicion is a Juventus-Milan tie which ended 0-0 in Turin from the season in question.

The scandal erupted last May when a number of intercepted telephone calls between leading figures of the Italian game and referees raised doubts over the legitimacy of the '04-05 championship.

Former Juventus general director Luciano Moggi was placed at the centre of the scandal after being accused of setting up a network in an attempt to influence the outcome of matches.

"The contacts took place via phone calls, thanks to secret sim cards that were provided by Moggi to designators Paolo Bergamo and Pier Luigi Pairetto, to Messina’s sporting director Mariano Fabiani, to referees Gianluca Paparesta, Salvatore Racalbuto, Stefano Cassara, Antonio Dattilo, Paolo Bertini, Marco Gabriele, Tiziano Pieri, Massimo De Santis and Marcello Ambrosino," read a statement released by the Naples prosecutors.

As a result of their findings, the match officials and Sicilian club Messina – who have protested their innocence – could also be facing a sporting tribunal.

Messina chief Pietro Franza said: "We have always operated in absolute legal transparency. [Former sporting director] Mariano Fabiani will be cleared in a short time."

With regards to Juventus, it has been claimed that they may be asked to face more FIGC charges depending on what Borrelli finds in the reports.

But the Turin giants are remaining calm about the situation. "Until we have something concrete in our possession then it is not right to say anything," said club lawyer Luigi Chiappero.

However, President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli quickly shot down claims that his outfit may face further penalisation for either this season or next. "We have to make it clear that Calciopoli didn’t start with Juventus," he argued. "We’ve already paid the price for it, perhaps too much.

"After all, the decision to take away the 2006 Scudetto from us and hand it to Inter is still incomprehensible today."

Lazio, Milan, Reggina, Fiorentina and Arezzo were the other clubs punished by the FIGC for their part in Calciopoli, as well as numerous club, FIGC and refereeing officials.

Only one referee, Massimo De Santis, was found guilty of misconduct in the sporting courts.

These are the 15 new games under investigation: Udinese-Brescia 1-2 (26-09-2004), Siena-Juventus 0-3 (23-10-2004), Juventus-Chievo 3-0 (31-10-2004), Messina-Reggina 2-1 (31-10-2004), Messina-Fiorentina 1-1 (28-11-2004), Juventus-Milan 0-0 (18-12-2004), Roma-Parma 5-1 (19-12-2004), Brescia-Bologna 1-1 (06-01-2005), Cagliari-Juventus 1-1 (16-01-2005), Messina-Parma 1-0 (23-01-2005), Sampdoria-Siena 1-1 (30-01-2005), Siena-Messina 2-2 (13-02-2005), Palermo-Lecce 3-3 (20-02-2005), Reggina-Messina 0-2 (13-03-2005) & Lazio-Juventus 0-1 (24-04-2005).

Arezzo appeal to TAR

2007-02-13T18:08:00.000Z

Arezzo have decided to lodge an appeal to TAR against their six-point Calciopoli penalty.

The Tuscan minnows had been initially handed a nine-point deduction by the Federal Court last summer, then reduced to six after their appeal.

The Serie B side had then appealed to the Italian Olympic Committee’s Court of Arbitration, who however confirmed the handicap for the 2006-07 campaign.

"There is no evidence that any Arezzo official or employee was responsible of wrongdoing," stated a note posted on the club’s website.

"However, we were handed a severe punishment. The club believes that we were the victims of prejudice and have therefore decided to lodge an appeal to the civil court, to protect our own legitimate interests."

All the other clubs involved in the match-fixing scandal had decided not to go down this path, after both the FIGC and the International Federation had threatened to dock even more points if any scandal-hit club decided to go to the civil courts.

"We are confident that we might have a final verdict before the end of the season," confirmed one of Arezzo’s lawyers.

Galliani ban reduced

2006-12-18T14:20:00.000Z

The Italian Olympic Committee’s (CONI) Court of Arbitration has reduced the Calciopoli ban inflicted on Milan vice-President Adriano Galliani.

The Rossoneri official was handed a nine-month suspension earlier this year in the aftermath of the scandal, which would have ended on April 14, 2007.

Galliani has always pleaded his innocence and therefore lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration, the highest level in sporting justice, in an attempt to see the punishment reduced.

The former Lega Calcio chief’s ban was cut down on Monday and his suspension will now end on December 23.

The rest of the punishment was a £17,800 fine, which will be paid to the Italian Football Federation within 30 days and will be used for youth activities.

Lega Calcio ban club Presidents

2006-12-13T22:28:00.000Z

The Lega Calcio will never again have a club representative as its President, announced Antonio Matarrese after tonight’s meeting.

“If the elected President of the Lega Calcio is also the head of a club, he must choose between one or the other. We can never again have an organisational rapport between the two figures, so he can’t represent the interests of an individual side and the collective,” said current President Matarrese.

“The new rules we have drawn up are very clear on this and nobody should even think about flying too close to the sun, because they will get their wings burned.”

The Lega Calcio – a sort of union of Serie A and B clubs – was embroiled in controversy for the years under Adriano Galliani’s Presidency due to claims he wielded too much power as vice-President of Milan.

Today the Lega united in Milan to discuss changes to the rules post-Calciopoli, which include a paid post as President.

“This is also a novelty, because the President will always be present, attentive and dedicate himself full-time to his duties,” added Matarrese. “We have to start running this union like a business with a real Board of Directors to make decisions and focus only on the good of the whole football environment. The clubs approved these changes unanimously, although it can only be implemented after it has been passed by the Federation.”

CONI cuts Reggina penalty

2006-12-12T15:37:00.000Z

Reggina have had their Calciopoli penalty reduced to 11 points by the Italian Olympic Committee’s (CONI) Court of Arbitration.

The Amaranto had received a 15-point deduction by the Federal Court sporting tribunal during the summer, as well as a two and a half year ban for President Lillo Foti.

They had already tried to appeal that decision in the previous conciliation meeting with the FIGC in October, but had failed to make any progress until now.

The CONI Arbitration confirmed the pundits’ predictions, which suggested that the penalty for the Southerners might be brought down to 11 points, granting a four-point reduction.

The discount allows Reggina to move to nine points in the Serie A standings, leapfrogging Ascoli, who are now in last position.

However, Foti was still not satisfied with the verdict and reiterated the club's innocence in the scandal. "I am very disappointed with this decision, because I do not believe I was guilty," said the club's owner, who was accused of calling referees' designator Paolo Bergamo in order to obtain favours for his side.

"This is an unfair verdict because Reggina are innocent. In any case we respect the decision, which we cannot consider fair for what the side has shown on the pitch," concluded the official.

The CONI Court also examined Arezzo’s position, but the Serie B side’s appeal failed and the six-point handicap for the 2006-07 campaign was confirmed, leaving the Tuscan outfit in last position with just two points earned so far.

Reggina expect reduction

2006-12-12T09:03:00.000Z

Reggina hope to see their Calciopoli penalty reduced, as the Italian Olympic Committee’s (CONI) Court of Arbitration is expected to hand out its verdict on Tuesday.

The Amaranto were punished by the Federal Court sporting tribunal in July for their involvement in the summer match-fixing scandal and were handed a 15-point deduction, along with a two and a half year ban for President Lillo Foti.

The minnows had already discussed their position in front of the FIGC in mid-October, but the conciliation meeting failed and the club decided to present its request to the CONI Court of Arbitration.

Pundits have predicted that Reggina might be granted a four-point discount, which would allow them to move to nine points on the table to escape from last place, and the verdict is expected to be released on Tuesday evening.

Foti’s hopes were further increased by Monday’s Court of Arbitration’s decision to slash the ban inflicted to Lazio chief Claudio Lotito, whose 30-month suspension was cut to just four months, already expired.

The other clubs involved in the first wave of trials – Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio and Milan – had already gone through the legal process and the Court of Arbitration granted reductions to all of them, except Milan.

The CONI Court will also examine Arezzo’s appeal, after the initial nine-point penalty for the 2006-07 Serie B campaign was cut to just six during conciliation. Rumours suggest the deduction will be brought down to only three points.

Lotito ‘wins’ Calciopoli appeal

2006-12-11T21:23:00.000Z

The Italian Olympic Committee’s (CONI) Court of Arbitration has this evening slashed the ban inflicted on Lazio chief Claudio Lotito.

The Biancocelesti President was handed a 30-month suspension earlier this year following an investigation by the Italian Football Federation.

But Lotito has always pleaded his innocence and his appeal to CONI, which was his last chance via the sporting justice system, has proved successful.

The capital chief has seen his ban cut to just four months which has already expired seeing as he has served five months in the lead up to today’s verdict.

Lotito’s success is not totally unexpected seeing how his club have come through the various appeal processes in recent times.

After initially being demoted to the Second Division, they were put back into Serie A with an 11-point penalty which was then slimmed down to just minus three.

Galliani rejects TAR appeal

2006-12-07T21:16:00.000Z

Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani will not lodge an appeal to TAR against his nine-month Calciopoli ban.

The Rossoneri official appeared in front of the Court of Arbitration on Wednesday as he hopes for a reduction to the suspension handed out by the Federal Court of Appeal in July.

“I do not want to make any forecast on what will be decided by the Court of Arbitration, I think we will now need to wait eight to 10 days,” said the former Lega Calcio chief.

“We will just wait for the verdict, hoping it will be positive. Now we want to focus on real football, which is played on the pitch. In any case, this is the final act of the issue,” added Galliani.

“I have already stated that I will not appeal to the civil courts, I have been a football official for over 30 years and I believe in sporting justice. Ten years with Monza and more than 20 with Milan do not allow me to do anything different from this, so I will just wait and see.”

Ref designator: Inter worse than Juve

2006-12-03T22:48:00.000Z

Former refereeing designator Paolo Bergamo claims many more clubs should’ve been punished in the Calciopoli scandal – including Inter.

“Someone picked the wiretap recordings they wanted released and threw away others that didn’t contribute to their final aims,” he told QN newspaper.

The scandal erupted in May when leaked telephone conversations were printed in the press showing officials from several sides urging ‘protection’ from refereeing errors or protesting about mistakes.

“Inter were the ones who complained more than anyone. They suspected everything, as there were a lot of referees they didn’t want assigned to their games, while the draws didn’t please them. Juventus and Milan scared them.”

The Nerazzurri were handed the 2005-06 Scudetto title after the trial, which saw Juve demoted to Serie B and Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina docked points.

Yet Bergamo – whose phone conversations were at the centre of the scandal – insists there was a precise intent to damage some clubs more than others.

“How come in the trial there were only some of the conversations and not others? I hope the investigation outside the football justice system can go more in depth and clarify. I doubt only ex-referee Massimo De Santis and I were spied on.”

Bound to cause further controversy, Bergamo pointed the finger at recently deceased Inter President Giacinto Facchetti.

“I hate to say it because of our friendship since the 1960s and his recent passing, but Facchetti called me more than anyone and Inter complained the most. He was always unhappy and I understood his irritation, as Inter struggled to win. Roma also rang up. They didn’t want some referees and were much warmer to others. It was a superstition issue with them.”

Ex-Juventus director general Luciano Moggi’s phone calls were not only published in the media, but even released on radio stations in some cases ahead of the trial.

“I’ve known Luciano for over 30 years. I am still honoured to be his friend and, if he made mistakes, he’ll answer to them. He mentioned a few referees when we were setting up the designations, but Moggi wasn’t the one deciding, it was the draw.”

Bergamo also slammed the figures in charge of the Calciopoli trial – former FIGC Commissioner Guido Rossi, Cesare Ruperto and Saverio Borrelli.

“These three made some important mistakes. They entered a world they didn’t know, one that had rapports, friendships, teasing and ways of communicating that go round without ever breaking the barrier of fair play between those who work in this sport. I ask Borrelli for a public confrontation about this whole issue.”

Moggi wants Calcio comeback

2006-12-01T19:25:00.000Z

Disgraced former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi insists he’ll return to the football world after the Calciopoli scandal.

“Juventus did not deserve to go into Serie B,” insisted the man whose wiretapped phone calls to officials were considered to be attempts to favour the Bianconeri.

Moggi resigned as the scandal began to break in May following Juve’s Scudetto – later revoked and handed to Inter.

“I did not leave the football world by choice and I will fight to get back there. Will ex-FIGC President Franco Carraro return to this sport? Let’s get to the next question, that one is laughable,” he told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli.

Juventus were demoted to Serie B and docked 30 points – later reduced to nine on appeal – but were just one point off leaders Napoli going into this weekend.

“After Juve of course, I hope that Napoli can also get back into Serie A. It would mean rediscovering two superpowers in the top flight. Besides, I am a Napoli fan,” said the former Azzurri director.

Others were less impressed with these statements, such as Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini.

“Moggi wants to return? Well, this is his world, that of the sneaks,” said the businessman. “I am Luciano’s friend and he is the greatest operator in football, but he caused problems left, right and centre. As for me, if this sport doesn’t change soon, then I’ll leave.”

Carraro wins appeal

2006-11-08T20:49:00.000Z

Former FIGC President Franco Carraro has seen his four-year suspension quashed in Arbitration, turning it into just a fine.

Carraro was one of the first to resign when the Calciopoli scandal exploded back in May, as the incidents of alleged pressure on refereeing designators happened under his ‘watch’.

He had been suspended for four years and six months with a fine of £53,600 in the first trial this summer. However, those charges have now been quashed in the CONI Arbitration, leaving just the financial penalty.

The judges decided, “There was no proof Carraro acted in any way other than in the interests of the Federation, nor that he took informal procedures to rebuke the refereeing section.”

Carraro has long been a key figure in Italian football’s hierarchy, first becoming FIGC Vice-President in 1973 and President from 1976 to ’78. He was in charge of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) from 1878 to 1987, then at the head of the Federation again from 1986-87 and 2001-2006.

Fiorentina withdraw TAR threat

2006-11-03T22:32:00.000Z

Fiorentina will not appeal to the civil courts against their Calciopoli punishments, confirmed Viola President Andrea Della Valle.

The club was hoping for a substantial discount on its 19-point penalty handed out by the Federal Court in July, but was only granted a four-point reduction by the CONI Court of Arbitration last week, fuelling speculation that the Viola would appeal to the TAR civil court.

“We will not go to TAR,” stated Della Valle in a press conference on Friday. “This was not an easy decision for us, we thought about it carefully as you all know very well.

“We are convinced that the treatment reserved to us was not fair, but we have decided that we will appeal to the TAR only as individual officials, not as a club.

“We are considering the alternative of presenting our appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, it is an option and we will discuss it with our lawyers,” concluded Della Valle.

Fiorentina had reaffirmed their complete innocence, having “never committed any sporting fraud” and they reacted furiously to CONI’s decisions last week.

CONI reduced the penalties of Juventus and Lazio, handing back eight points to both, whereas Milan’s appeal failed, leaving the Rossoneri with an eight-point handicap.

Zeman slams Juve discount

2006-10-29T20:49:00.000Z

Zdenek Zeman reacted angrily to the Calciopoli appeal verdicts, claiming the Serie B season has been "falsified" by Juventus' discount.

The CONI Arbitration cut Juve’s penalty from 17 points to nine on Friday evening after accepting that the club had removed those directors responsible for the scandal.

“With the cuts to those penalties, the Serie B Championship has been falsified. The extra points handed to Juve prove that things will never change,” said the Lecce Coach.

In the top flight, Lazio’s 11-point handicap was reduced to just three, Fiorentina went from -19 to -15 and Milan’s eight-point penalty was confirmed.

“At least the Second Division is a very difficult League and Juve will have to struggle hard in any case to earn promotion.”

Zeman has always been the Bianconeri’s most outspoken critic, as his comments on the muscular development of some of their players prompted the long-running investigation into Juve’s medical staff.

He also suggested that disgraced former director general Luciano Moggi had some power over referees long before this summer’s shock telephone interceptions revealed pressure on the authorities.

Livid Viola consider civil action

2006-10-28T15:47:00.000+01:00

Fiorentina insist they are innocent of the Calciopoli charges and hinted at a new appeal to the TAR tribunal.

The club was hoping for a substantial discount on its 19-point penalty, but with only four points shaved off that total, there was a mixed reaction to last night’s CONI Arbitration verdict.

“Fiorentina reaffirm that the club has never committed any sporting fraud and confirm its very critical position against a decision that, once again, bases its judgement on presumptions without objective evidence,” read a statement.

The Arbitration knocked their handicap down to –15 and cleared patron Diego Della Valle of the ‘sporting fraud’ charge, but they remain the club with the heaviest penalty apart from demoted Juventus.

“We are very disappointed at seeing our request for a trial based on an analysis of the facts, without preconceived ideas or theories, go totally ignored,” continued the Press release. “Even stronger is our sensation that the need to sustain an accusatory line, one that has been proved totally unfounded in several courts now, took precedence over justice.”

The statement concludes with a warning that the legal battle is not over, as Fiorentina are now likely to lodge a new appeal in the civil courts via the TAR tribunal.

“Fiorentina are examining the content of the Arbitration’s report to decide how best to defend the club, the directors and its shareholders.”

Viola director of sport Pantaleo Corvino tried to calm the situation and focus his players on Sunday’s tough match against leaders Palermo.

“This is a verdict I do not feel like commenting on. We must react. At this moment in time, Fiorentina need to find more unity so that we can continue to work the way we have since the start of the season,” said the transfer guru. “The squad and Coach Cesare Prandelli showed great professionalism and confidence in the project laid out by the directors and will continue their work. You’ll see we’ll emerge from this stronger than ever.”

Juve usher in new era

2006-10-28T13:39:00.000+01:00

The Calciopoli discounts have put Juventus back in the promotion race and President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli sees this as the start of a new era for the club.

“I have always said I expected a substantial discount, even if I never quantified the number of points I envisaged. I think that Juve can consider themselves relatively satisfied with the extra eight points, seeing as rumours over the past few days had suggested something less,” noted Cobolli Gigli.

In the summer the trial demoted Juventus to Serie B with a 30-point penalty. It was reduced to 17 on appeal and has now been cut to just nine in CONI Arbitration, so the Bianconeri are propelled up the table and back into the race for automatic promotion.

“Today we end a chapter in Juve’s history and from tomorrow will begin a new adventure. Our objective has always remained the same, though – to be in Serie A next season.”

Lotito demands clarity

2006-10-28T13:23:00.000+01:00

Lazio President Claudio Lotito doesn’t consider their penalty reduction to three points to be “a complete victory”.

The club was originally demoted to Serie B as part of the scandal this summer, only to have their top flight status restored with an 11-point handicap. That has now been slashed to just three points after last night’s CONI Arbitration verdict.

“It is not a complete victory, as I think the truth of the matter has not been entirely clarified yet, but I do accept the Arbitration’s verdict,” said patron Lotito.

“I hope that a similar attitude can be taken towards my personal appeal against my ban.”

Lotito was accused of trying to put pressure on the authorities and referees so that they would favour the Rome club – allegations he has always denied.

The Biancocelesti’s legal team was also relatively content with the outcome, although they argued that stripping the club of its UEFA Cup place for this season was punishment enough.

“At the start of the tournament we thought this team would face a fight just to avoid relegation, but now things have changed,” said Gianmichele Gentile. “The players can focus on their performances and winning back their place in Europe.”

Punishment reduced for trio

2006-10-27T21:53:00.000+01:00

Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina have had their Calciopoli penalties reduced, but Milan remain with an eight-point handicap.

Juve and Lazio had the biggest discount, as both have had eight points handed back to them after tonight’s verdicts from the Italian Olympic Committee's (CONI) Court of Arbitration. Fiorentina were hoping for a substantial discount on their original 19-point penalty, but it has merely been cut to -15.

Milan’s appeal failed, as their eight-point handicap will stand for the 2006-07 campaign.

This means that the current Serie A table now has Lazio level with Milan on seven points and Fiorentina on 0 ahead of the Round 9 fixtures this weekend. In Serie B, Juventus leapfrog up to 10 points after their seven games.

The clubs lodged their appeals in front of the commission on October 11 and 12, but a decision was only formally announced this evening.

The original trial had inflicted more severe punishments on the sides, as Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio were demoted to Serie B with penalties of 30, 12 and seven points respectively. Milan stayed in the top flight with a 15-point penalty. The quartet were also kicked out of European competitions.

These verdicts were cut on appeal so that only Juve remained in the Second Division with a 17-point penalty. Fiorentina and Lazio returned to Serie A, starting from -19 and -11, while Milan went back into the Champions League through the preliminary round and began the campaign from -8 points.

This could well be the final act in the scandal that has dragged on since the end of last season, amid wiretapping, match-fixing allegations and claims of pressure put on referees to favour certain sides.

Yet there may be more on the horizon, as clubs still unhappy with their lot could in theory appeal to the TAR tribunal. As it is outside the jurisdiction of the sporting courts, this civil action would infuriate the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and might earn new penalties for the sides involved. FIFA have already warned the clubs that if they go outside of the sporting courts, they should expect further punishments from the world's governing body.

CONI, the highest level of the sports justice system in Italy, also decided to annull the planned bans on playing home games, translating that into a cash sum. The proceeds from the first Milan and Juventus matches of the current campaign must be handed over to the Federation. Lazio will do the same with their first two games, while for Fiorentina the penalty is three home gates.

Reggina and Serie B minnows Arezzo were also punished in the second wave of trials and started the campaign on -15 and -6 points respectively, but their cases will be examined in November.

Reaction
Fiorentina were left irritated by tonight's outcome, as their 19-point penalty was cut by just four points. “Fiorentina and Juve were the teams most penalised by the original trials, now we have to see what exactly happened in this appeal, but I can say we certainly deserved a bigger discount,” said ex-Viola legend Giancarlo Antognoni.

The Viola are the only side likely to pursue their legal battle through the TAR civil courts. “It doesn’t seem as if four points are a lot in the grand scheme of things. Will we go to the TAR? I don’t know, you’d have to ask Diego Della Valle.”

Juventus claim the ulterior discount proves the club’s “willingness to promote the values of sporting behaviour.” This evening's reduction to just nine points puts them soundly back in the Serie B promotion race.

“Juventus accept the sentence handed out by the CONI Arbitration commission, which recognises at least in part the enormous effort and spirit of sacrifice shown by the club to renew its infrastructure and promote the values of sporting behaviour in favour of the entire football community,” read a statement.

The Bianconeri had argued that they were the only club in the scandal to take firm action in removing the directors accused of putting pressure on referees and the authorities to favour certain teams. The famous ‘Triade’ of Luciano Moggi, Roberto Bettega and Antonio Giraudo were removed from the Turin outfit.

The reduction of Juve’s handicap has leapfrogged them up to 12th place on 10 points – just eight behind leaders Genoa with a game in hand. The Bianconeri will play Frosinone tomorrow afternoon, face Brescia on Wednesday night and then travel to Napoli on Monday with renewed confidence. So far this season Didier Deschamps’ men have drawn one and won their last six on the trot.

Milan were furious with the rejection of their CONI appeal. The Rossoneri were the only ones not to have their 8-point penalty lowered and they showed their anger in a terse statement released a few minutes after the announcement. “The decision of the CONI Arbitration does not deserve any comment from A.C. Milan.”

Lazio have seen their punishment go from Serie B to the top flight minus three points, but still aren’t fully satisfied. “We are partially satisfied,” said lawyer Giammichele Gentile. “Obviously we could have had more, but have already received quite a bit. As a lawyer, I am satisfied as a large part of our reasoning was accepted and acknowledged. However, we were aiming for the total cancellation of the penalty, because all the accusations were false.”

The club claimed that being stripped of a UEFA Cup place, which they had earned last season, was punishment enough.

CONI verdicts expected

2006-10-27T13:26:00.000+01:00

The CONI Court of Arbitration is expected to hand out its verdicts later on Friday, as Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina and Milan will discover whether their appeals to reduce their match-fixing punishments have been successful.

The four clubs were all punished by the Federal Court on July 25 for their part in the summer Calciopoli scandal and decided to present their appeal to the CONI Arbitration Court, the highest grade of justice in Italian sports.

The clubs agreed to keep the dispute within the realm of sporting justice after receiving “signals of willingness” from sports officials to conclude the situation fairly.

The final decision should be revealed in the evening after the stock market closes, although a CONI spokesman confirmed that there is no official information of when the verdicts will be handed out.

Juventus were stripped of their last two Serie A titles, demoted to Serie B and had a 30-point penalty reduced to 17 after a first appeal. Fiorentina, Lazio and Milan escaped relegation to the lower League but were docked points in Serie A; 19 for Fiorentina, 11 for Lazio and eight for Milan.

While CONI insists nothing has been decided in advance, speculation in the La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper says that Juve will be given back seven points. Likewise, Lazio, who were deducted 30 points from last season's Serie A total and missed out on a place in the UEFA Cup this campaign, are also likely to be given back seven points. According to the paper, CONI will be less forgiving with Fiorentina and AC Milan.

Reggina were also punished in the second wave of trials and started the campaign on -15, but that case will be examined in November. Serie B minnows Arezzo started with a 6-point deduction.

Juve lawyer: We deserved C!

2006-10-26T22:12:00.000+01:00

Juventus lawyer Cesare Zaccone believes that the Turin giants were fortunate to escape being demoted to Serie C for their part in Calciopoli scandal.

The Old Lady’s board held an intense meeting in Turin this afternoon regarding the relegation of the team and their financial problems. President Cobolli Gigli was present, as well as chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc, Zaccone and all the minor shareholders of the team.

The Bianconeri’s board was attacked by the shareholders for the club’s position in court during the trial. The shareholders believe that it was the wrong decision when they asked for Serie B, and admitted being guilty – but Zaccone clearly had a different take on things.

“Probably someone in this meeting doesn’t understand the situation we were in,” said the lawyer.

“The dossier that was given to us included so many infractions made by Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo, who were representing the club at the time. There wasn’t much to do considering their illegal actions, and Juventus was inevitably responding for them. Our situation was tragic, what could we do? We couldn’t defend Moggi or Giraudo. There were so many accusations against us and the obvious punishment was Serie C. So we asked for the Serie B without penalisation.”

Zaccone still thinks that Juventus made the best decision they could in the situation. “We deserved Serie C, so being put in Serie B was a good result – we did it to make Juve survive,” he concluded.

Cobolli Gigli had little to say after the meeting, apart from offering a statement of defiance. "I understand the shareholders, but we are trying our best to bring Juve back to the level we should be at," said the chief.

CONI verdicts delayed

2006-10-24T14:14:00.001+01:00

The CONI Court of Arbitration is expected to hand out its verdicts early next week, according to the latest reports in Italy.

Juventus, Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina presented their appeal to the highest grade of justice in Italian sports in the hope of seeing the punishments for their part in the Calciopoli scandal reduced or even cancelled, agreeing to keep the dispute within the realm of sporting justice.

The clubs involved were heard on October 11/12 and the fresh verdicts were expected to be revealed after 15 days, but it now seems that the decisions will now be postponed to next week, possibly late on Tuesday evening, after the Italian stock market closes.

The FIGC relegated Juventus to Serie B, stripping them of the 2005 and 2006 titles, and gave them a 17-point penalty, while Fiorentina, Lazio and Milan were given deductions of 19, 11 and eight points respectively.

Despite CONI having insisted that nothing has been decided in advance, speculation from various sources in the Italian media stated that all the clubs will see a reduction in their penalties.

Reggina conciliation fails

2006-10-18T21:17:00.000+01:00

Reggina’s conciliation meeting with the FIGC has failed, so a new appeal against their Calciopoli penalty is expected.

This evening President Lillo Foti, former refereeing designator Gennaro Mazzei 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.

It’s therefore likely the Amaranto will go to the CONI Court of Abritration in what will probably be their final appeal.

The other clubs involved in the first wave of trials – Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio and Milan – have already gone through this legal process and reached the CONI Court of Arbitration. A verdict is expected at the end of the month.

Deductions predicted for quartet

2006-10-14T14:12:00.000+01:00

There is heavy speculation in the Italian media that Fiorentina will have seven points shaved off their 19-point penalty.

The four clubs involved in the first wave of the Calciopoli scandal – Juventus, Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina – put their cases forward to the CONI Conciliation Committee this week.

It’s claimed that the Viola’s lawyers may have done enough to cut their handicap in the current Serie A season to 12 points. “Our line of defence is very convincing,” assured representative Alberto Bruni.

If the CONI accept the proposals, the charges for sporting fraud in the Lecce-Parma game would be reduced to mere disloyal behaviour. Not only would this cut their penalty, but it’d also effectively clear the Fiorentina directors of intentionally trying to fix a result.

“Fiorentina are not guilty of any wrongdoing, that is why we do not want to hear the word discount – we want the punishment to be cancelled,” added Bruni, the club’s lawyer. “I have trust in the court of arbitration and we gave them all the documents we prepared. For the first time I felt that I was facing people who were willing to listen to us, as this had never happened in front of the CAF and the Federal Court.

“If our request is not granted, we are willing to continue our battle and cannot exclude that we will appeal to the TAR civil court. I hope that will not be the case, but we are ready to fight if needs be.”

It’s also rumoured that the other trio will receive a discount of 30 per cent on their deductions. Juventus would therefore have five points restored, going from a -17 starting place to -12. Lazio could get four points handed back from the original -11 judgment and Milan would go from -8 to -6.

The verdicts are expected to be handed out at the end of this month.

Viola threaten TAR appeal

2006-10-12T18:19:00.000+01:00

Fiorentina have threatened to appeal to the civil justice court if their 19-point reduction is not cancelled by the Italian Olympic Committee's (CONI) Court of Arbitration.

The Viola presented their appeal on Thursday – following Juventus, Lazio and Milan’s hearings the day before – in an attempt to see their punishments reduced.

“Fiorentina are not guilty of any wrongdoing, that is why we do not want to hear the word discount – we want the punishment to be cancelled,” said Alberto Bruni, the club’s lawyer.

“I have trust in the court of arbitration and we gave them all the documents we prepared. For the first time I felt that I was facing people who were willing to listen to us, as this had never happened in front of the CAF and the Federal Court. If our request is not granted, we are willing to continue our battle and cannot exclude that we will appeal to the TAR civil court. I hope that will not be the case, but we are ready to fight if needs be.”

The court is expected to hand out the verdicts by the end of the month and rumours suggest that all the deficits might be decreased.

Juventus, demoted to Serie B with a deduction of 17 points, are set to receive a 10-point reduction, whereas Milan (started the season on -8), Lazio (-11) and Fiorentina (-19) could be granted a three, five and eight-point reduction respectively to the penalties that were inflicted in July.

Milan want Inter’s Scudetto

2006-10-12T11:11:00.000+01:00

AC Milan’s lawyer Leandro Cantamessa believes that the Rossoneri deserve a reduction in their points penalty – and the 2005-06 Scudetto.

Juventus, Milan and Lazio all presented their cases to the CONI Arbitration Court on Wednesday in an attempt to get their Calciopoli penalties reduced, with Fiorentina scheduled to appear olater today.

“One of the main lines in our defence is the fact that we don’t understand Adriano Galliani’s (pictured) ban,” said Cantamessa after the hearing.

"The only certainty I have is that Milan are innocent and that is why I have asked for our eight-point deduction to be cancelled. I believe we deserve a reduction, but I can confirm that we are not considering an appeal to the TAR civil justice. We respect the rules and we knew what we were going to face.

“In any case, who told you that we have not asked for the last Scudetto to be reassigned to us? We will accept any decision. I have been dealing with sporting justice for 22 years, the only difference in this case is the very unpleasant atmosphere that was created by the media,” concluded the newly-elected Lega Calcio Counsellor.

Quartet await on final verdict

2006-10-10T09:27:00.000+01:00

The four clubs implicated in the match-fixing scandal will hear the result of their final appeals against their punishments in the next few days.

Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina have already had their original sentences reduced. They are now seeking further cuts from the Italian Olympic Committee's (CONI) Court of Arbitration.

“We are hoping to get the same sentence as all the other teams,” said Juventus President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli. “I am confident that CONI will treat us in the right way because we have paid a lot with the relegation into Serie B.”

The Turin giants, who already had a 30 point penalty reduced to 17 after a first appeal, are optimistic that another cut is in line. "We are serene ahead of the sentence," said Juventus chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc last night. "We have a big handicap, having been demoted to Serie B and given a 17-point punishment, but just as we respected the previous sentence, we will also respect the next one. However, we do hope to have a fair sentence which will give the players the necessary condition to have a more acceptable challenge.".

All four clubs began the season with points deductions, while Juventus were also relegated to Serie B. The Bianconeri, Lazio (-11) and Milan (-8) will present their cases on Wednesday, while Fiorentina (-19) will have their appeal heard on Thursday.

The final verdicts are expected to be revealed towards the end of the month, with 15 days being touted as a possible timescale.

Speculation by various sources in the Italian media insist that all the clubs will see a reduction in their penalties.

Juve are only appealing against their points deduction after they decided not to take their appeal over their relegation to the civil courts. Such a move could have resulted in FIFA throwing Italy out of Euro 2008 qualifying.

Serie B duo against Juve ‘discount’

2006-10-09T11:17:00.000+01:00

Napoli and Genoa have hit out at the possibility of seeing Serie B promotion rivals Juventus having their 17-point punishment reduced this week.

The Old Lady will appear in front of the Italian Olympic Committee’s Court of Arbitration on Wednesday where reports insist they will receive a discount on the points they were docked after this summer's Calciopoli scandal.

Yet two of their present Second Division rivals have insisted that they see no reason why Juventus, who already had an initial 30-point penalty cut, should be given another helping hand.

“I don’t understand all of this goodness when it comes to the continual talk of a discount for Juventus,” said Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentis. “It may be because I’m new to this environment, but I firmly believe that whoever has done wrong should pay the penalty. I see no reason why the judges should reconsider a verdict which has already been served, especially after the season has already started and teams don’t have an opportunity to reinforce themselves.”

De Laurentis also questioned whether the Turin giants really needed a fresh boost after dropping just two points from their first five games. “With such a march they will finish at the top of the League anyway,” he added.

Genoa President Enrico Preziosi mirrored the views of his colleague and is hoping Juve’s handicap will stay intact.

“There have already been two grades of verdicts, another one would not legitimise the sporting justice system,” said the fiery President.

“I feel sorry for Juventus who have been put in a Division which isn’t theirs, but that is a product of the sporting tribunals. We can’t forget that the first verdict was changed in a consistent manner, doing that again would have no sense. The season has already started and it isn’t right to change a verdict, if that happened then it would leave everyone perplexed.”

Talk in Italy suggests that Juventus could see their minus 17 come down to between minus 10 and minus seven. From the five games they've played so far, the Bianconeri have already picked up 13 points.

Vieri demands Moratti explanation

2006-10-05T22:16:00.000+01:00

Christian Vieri has demanded an explanation from Massimo Moratti after it was revealed that the Inter chief had someone spy on him.

The latest scandal broke out last week, when the newspapers revealed hundreds of interceptions over the past few years conducted by Telecom Italia, one of Inter’s shareholders.

“I am very disappointed and would like to know why Moratti behaved like this – we had a very good relationship and I didn’t expect anything like this,” said Vieri. “I guess six years of my life and 133 goals were not enough to earn Inter’s trust.”

The Atalanta man has asked the FIGC Investigation Office to open a file and will claim damages from Telecom Italia, while he is considering the idea of suing Moratti and the club.

“Christian has no intention of ignoring this issue. His private life is continuously violated and he has now decided to counter attack,” said Vieri’s lawyer Danilo Buongiorno. “He felt betrayed but he is not looking for revenge. He only wants to understand what happened and why it happened, in order to protect his privacy.”

Paparesta ban wiped out

2006-10-04T23:26:00.000+01:00

The Federal Court of Appeal has overturned referee Gianluca Paparesta’s eight-month ban.

The Disciplinary Commission of the AIA Referees’ Association had suspended the Bari-born official after he was embroiled in the Calciopoli scandal this summer. Telephone interceptions showed former Juventus director Luciano Moggi confessing to locking the referee in the changing room after Juventus lost 2-1 against Reggina in the 2004-05 season.

The three-month ban for not informing the country's governing body about the incident has already been completed, so he is available to officiate in the next set of Serie B matches on Sunday.

“With this verdict, an international referee who has given credit to the Italian sport can return to his activity,” said lawyer Gianluigi Pellegrino. “We hope that the AIA and UEFA can take this into account immediately.”

The AIA's new overseer Luigi Agnolin has made his feelings about the seriousness of the omission clear, but refused to be drawn on this latest development. "I have taken note of this," he explained. "I am waiting to read the reasons behind the decision."

Matarrese: Honeymoon is over

2006-10-03T22:51:00.000+01:00

The Lega Calcio was plunged into chaos again today as Maurizio Zamparini and Riccardo Garrone attacked President Antonio Matarrese.

The emergency meeting was called to elect two new counsellors to replace Roma director Rosella Sensi – recently appointed Vice-President to Matarrese – and deceased Inter President Giacinto Facchetti.

So far only one new figure has been elected, but it proved a controversial choice. Leandro Cantamessa is Milan’s lawyer and represented the club in the match-fixing trial.

Palermo President Zamparini failed to reach the 15 out of 20 votes necessary, even when he was fielded as the only possible candidate.

It’s now rumoured Zamparini could retire from the race, while Sampdoria owner Garrone has already resigned in protest at Matarrese’s actions.

“I could reconsider my position, but only if within 10 days Matarrese leaves the Presidency of the Lega Calcio,” said Garrone.

Matarrese was only elected on August 8 in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal, which forced Adriano Galliani to step down as President of this Serie A and B ‘union’.

“I can understand what everyone is saying, but I won’t let anyone tread all over me,” replied Matarrese.

Zamparini was the most active in pushing for Matarrese to become Lega Calcio President, but has already changed his mind less than two months later. “I told Mr Matarrese that he has betrayed his first voter, which was me, and that naturally he will no longer have my support. I’ll continue to be the Palermo President, but I couldn’t care less about this place,” he said storming out of the meeting.

Zamparini also slammed Cantamessa’s election as “fraudulent,” something the Milan lawyer was eager to answer. “We need great patience to deal with Zamparini. I realise it was humiliating for him to fail in this election. He was in a bad mood and, when you’re not particularly polite, things come out that shouldn’t have been said. I forgive him, as I don’t think he knew what he meant by the word ‘fraudulent’.”

Moratti all set to defend Inter

2006-10-03T11:28:00.000+01:00

Inter owner Massimo Moratti will be heard by Francesco Saverio Borrelli on Tuesday as the Italian Football Federation continues its investigation into the latest interception saga.

The FIGC opened a new probe in the aftermath of the scandal revealing hundreds of cases of phone interceptions by Telecom Italia, after former referee Massimo De Santis accused Inter of tailing him as well as tapping his phone in 2002.

The ex-referee spoke to Borrelli on Monday after a former Telecom Italia security manager confessed from prison that the he did spy on De Santis and that this activity was at least in part commissioned by the Nerazzurri.

Moratti reacted immediately to the accusations, saying that his club had nothing to do with the interceptions despite Telecom being one of its shareholders, and said he was eager to speak to chief investigator Borrelli to clarify his club’s position.

Federal Commissioner Luca Pancalli expressed his worries about the new scandal in which he labelled the situation as ‘embarrassing’.

However, Moratti has hit back by again claiming his club’s innocence. “I don’t agree with that,” said the patron.

De Santis made no new revelations during his hearing on Monday and is now waiting for civil justice to follow its course. “I want justice, just as I have been stating in the past few months,” said the former referee who was forced to miss the World Cup last summer. “This is a disgusting situation. A citizen was spied on in his private life and that is unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, a new investigation is being launched in Naples in relation to the 2005-06 season. The move comes after former referee Mario Mazzoleni accused the ex-designator Gennaro Mazzei of putting pressure on him to favour Lazio before the January 21 match with Cagliari.

New revelation rocks Inter

2006-10-02T13:25:00.000+01:00

Inter’s position in the most recent telephone interception scandal has become more critical after the confession of a former Telecom Italia manager.

The FIGC launched a new investigation, which is being led by the head of the Investigation Office Francesco Saverio Borrelli, after former referee Massimo De Santis accused Inter of tailing him as well as tapping his phone in 2002, in the aftermath of the new scandal revealing hundreds of cases of phone interceptions by Telecom.

According to the Italian press, the ex-Telecom Italia security boss Giuliano Tavaroli confessed from prison that the he did spy on De Santis and that this activity was at least in part commissioned by the Nerazzurri, as confirmed by his lawyer.

"That is partially true. The activity was commissioned by the Inter management and was taken care of in part by Tavaroli, in part by the private investigator Emanuele Cipriani,” said Massimo Dinoia after speaking to his client in the Voghera prison.

“The investigation was mainly aimed at acquiring information on the referee’s properties and was conducted between 2002 and 2003.”

Nerazzurri owner Massimo Moratti reacted immediately to the accusations, saying that his club had nothing to do with the interceptions despite Telecom being one of its shareholders.

He is scheduled to meet Borrelli on Tuesday to clarify his position, while De Santis, who declared that he would claim damages, will be heard on Monday.

Inter could risk a fine for violating the sporting code if the accusations prove to be true, but at the time being there is no reason to believe that there would be consequences for the team itself in terms of points deductions.

Lippi praises ‘lucky’ Rossi

2006-10-02T12:43:00.000+01:00

Marcello Lippi believes former FIGC Commissioner Guido Rossi was the Azzurri’s lucky charm at the World Cup.

Rossi became the head of Telecom Italia two weeks ago and was replaced by the head of the Italian Paralympic Committee Luca Pancalli at the helm of the Federation.

“Many things have happened in the past few weeks, but I don’t really feel I can make any comments because I wasn’t there,” said the ex-Italy boss.

“As to Guido Rossi, I must say that I had the pleasure to meet a very positive person – I had a good feeling about him since the first time we spoke. He lived the entire World Cup dream next to us and it was even more exciting for him, seeing that he had never worked in this environment. Every time he came to see us we won. I told him he was our lucky charm and should have been present at every match.”

The former Juve Coach was also asked about Italian clubs’ recent struggles in the Champions League. “I read in a newspaper that Bayern’s Coach Felix Magath said that he can finally return to eating pizza in the Italian restaurants after his side’s away win to Inter, said Lippi, referring to this summer’s proposed pizza boycott after the Azzurri defeated the hosts in the World Cup semi-final.

“There aren’t that many Italian players with Inter – I think he will have to win several more games before he can really eat another pizza. Everyone seems keen on defeating the world champions, and there always are additional motivations when you play against the best. In this case Italy represent the best and that is why defeating us seems to be so important,” concluded Lippi.

CAF chief Ruperto resigns

2006-09-30T14:39:00.000+01:00

The Calciopoli scandal continues to pick up victims, as CAF President Cesare Ruperto has resigned, confirmed the FIGC.

The CAF (Federal Appeal Commission) was the first step in the scandal in July and inflicted the hardest penalties upon the four clubs and individuals involved. Ruperto’s commission demoted Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio with points penalties of 30, 12 and seven respectively and docked Milan 15 points.

These verdicts were slashed on appeal, with only the Bianconeri left in Serie B and most of the handicaps cut in half. Under his leadership, the CAF also inflicted a 15-point penalty on Reggina and a six-point deduction in Serie B for Arezzo in the second wave of the Calciopoli trial.

“Cesare Ruperto has decided to leave, starting from Monday, the position of CAF President,” read an official statement on the Federation website. “He personally communicated this to Commissioner Luca Pancalli, explaining in a letter that personal matters, tied to work and study, won’t allow him to continue his presence at the head of the Federal Appeal Commission.”

Most of the figures brought in to lead Italian football through the scandal have now moved on. FIGC Commissioner Guido Rossi was forced to resign due to a conflict of interest when he took charge of Telecom Italia.

Investigator Francesco Saverio Borrelli had also quit last week, but took back the decision so that he could concentrate on the new wiretap scandal involving Inter.

Borrelli launches investigation

2006-09-29T17:58:00.000+01:00

Francesco Saverio Borrelli, the head of the Investigation Office, has benn called to enquire on the recent interception scandal involving Internazionale and telecommunications giants Telecom Italia.

The FIGC launched a new investigation after another scandal broke out in the past few days in Italy revealing hundreds of cases of phone interceptions by Telecom, with former referee Massimo De Santis accusing Inter of tailing him and tapping his phone in 2002.

Nerazzurri owner Massimo Moratti reacted immediately to the accusations, saying that his club had nothing to do with the interceptions despite Telecom Italia being one of its main shareholders, but said he was eager to meet Borrelli to answer any questions.

The latter will also meet De Santis, who presented himself to the civil prosecutors who are at the head of the investigation in Milan, declaring that he would claim damages.

Borrelli is scheduled to meet De Santis on Monday and the Inter patron on Tuesday, along with sporting director Gabriele Oriali, who hopes to clarify once and for all the position of the Scudetto holders.

If the accusations prove to be true, Inter could risk a fine for violating the sporting code, but there would be no consequences for the team itself in terms of points deductions.

Borrelli had decided to abandon the Federation after the mass departure of former Commissioner Guido Rossi and his staff, but the newly-elected Commissioner Luca Pancalli asked him to reconsider his decision and he revoked his resignation on Wednesday.

Agnolin presents Ethical Code

2006-09-27T16:03:00.000+01:00

The Referees’ Association Commissioner Luigi Agnolin (left) with new refereeing designator Stefano Tedeschi.

Referees’ Association (AIA) Commissioner Luigi Agnolin has presented the new Ethical Code to the FIGC in the hope this will help prevent future scandals.

After Calciopoli, the footballing world is in need of new rules, including an innovative regulation for the men in black, who were protagonists of the summer scandal. Agnolin presented the new ethical code to the Football Federation today.

Article 16 of the regulation obliges all referees to report any suspicious behaviour they may observe in their colleagues, to avoid being themselves considered guilty of violating the ethical code.

Also, the referees and their assistants must inform the Association and its President of any job or partnership dating back to the last three years.

Article 13 of the code forbids accepting any presents which are worth more than 80 euros and the referees will be punished if they record a telephone call with a colleague or a Federal member, without asking for the interlocutor’s permission before the conversation begins.

In the intentions of Agnolin the new code should avoid the ambiguity surrounding the behaviour of many referees in the past few years and should deter any wrongdoing, but the first reactions to the new rules also highlighted that they will need to be carefully managed by the Referees’ Association in order to avoid a dangerous witch-hunt.

Borrelli opts to stay on

2006-09-27T14:07:00.000+01:00

Francesco Borelli tendered his resignation last Wednesday.

Francesco Saverio Borrelli has confirmed that he has withdrawn his resignation from the Italian Football Federation and will remain in his role as the head of the FIGC Investigation Office.

Borrelli had tendered his resignation a week ago after the mass departure of former Commissioner Guido Rossi and his staff, but the newly-elected Commissioner Luca Pancalli asked the 76-year-old magistrate to reconsider his decision immediately after he was appointed on Thursday.

Borrelli met both the Italian Minister of Sport Giovanna Melandri and Pancalli himself, in what he defined as two satisfying meetings.

“I feel that there is trust in the job I am doing – I am flattered and thankful for this,” read an official statement directed at Pancalli.

“I feel that there is a unanimous will to innovate and change the Federal structures and rules. In this constructive climate and considering that you have asked me to keep a direct communication channel with you, in order to transmit the data acquired and any useful reflection originated by this information, I am pleased to inform you that I intend to revoke my resignation as Head of the Investigation Office.”

Borrelli’s first job will be to investigate former referee Massimo De Santis’ accusations about Inter, who allegedly hired an investigator to spy on him and tap his phone in 2002, as well as complete the inquiry on the illegal betting that was launched in the past few months.

Moggi attacks Rossi

2006-09-27T10:44:00.000+01:00

Luciano Moggi was at the centre of this summer's scandal.

Luciano Moggi has hit out at former Federal Commissioner Guido Rossi, accusing him of acting on Inter’s behalf during the match-fixing investigation.

Juventus’ former director general was handed a five-year ban in the aftermath of the scandal and believes that Rossi intentionally wanted to ruin him and the Bianconeri.

“Inter, Telecom Italia, Massimo Moratti, Marco Tronchetti Provera and Rossi are all partners in the same things – that is Telecom Italia and Inter,” Moggi said on Italian television last night.

“Rossi did what he had to do and then returned to his home base at Telecom,” added Moggi, referring to Rossi’s new appointment at the head of Telecom Italia, which forced him to resign from his post at the FIGC last week.

"The revelations of the past few days confirm what I have been saying for months when I referred to industrial espionage. I once again deny the legitimacy of the phone interceptions. Often there are words missing and in other print-outs there are extra words – how can we trust this kind of information?

“That is why I decided to give Paolo Bergamo some foreign mobile phone cards, I was aware that everyone knew what I was doing and had to somehow protect myself. Juventus was hit in a moment of weakness following the death of Gianni and Umberto Agnelli – had they been alive these things would have never happened.”

The Old Lady of Italian football currently resides in Serie B with a 17-point deduction, although they are hoping to have that reduced at their CONI hearing next month.

Inter under FIGC investigation

2006-09-25T11:49:00.001+01:00

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) are set to launch an investigation after referee Massimo De Santis accused Internazionale and their owner Massimo Moratti of spying on him.

De Santis, who was banned for four years by the FIGC in the match-fixing scandal this summer, claimed Moratti had illegally recorded his telephone conversations. These allegations came after another scandal broke out in the past few days revealing hundreds of cases of phone interceptions by telecommunication giants Telecom Italia.

“When I first learned about this operation by Massimo Moratti I was disgusted, even if I know that can be a strong word to use,” said De Santis in a television interview. “I am paying for something that I didn’t do, I have always stated my innocence and to know today what was happening a few years ago really makes me sick. Why were they following me? I think they maybe wanted to blackmail me.”

The complaint relates to the 2002/03 season when former Inter vice-president, the late Giacinto Facchetti, held a conversation with former referee Danilo Nucini. Nucini told Facchetti he feared De Santis had an extraordinary relationship with the then Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi and other Juve directors.

Facchetti passed on Nucini's remarks to Moratti, who hired a team of investigators, 'Polis d'Istinto', to record De Santis' telephone conversations, to follow and film him and his wife and take secret photographs.

The investigation however brought to no firm results and the file was closed seeing as “there were no anomalies in De Santis’ way of life.”

After the state investigation was last week opened up into the illegal monitoring of telephone calls by Telecom Italia, details of Moratti's private investigation were revealed.

If the accusations prove to be true, Inter could receive a fine, although a points deduction is not a possibility since they have, at worst, broken article one of the sport’s code of justice and not articles two or six, which were infringed upon by Juve, who were consequently relegated to Serie B this summer.

The Inter owner also faces the prospect of a suspension for breaking the game's code of justice relating to fairness and honesty.

Moratti reacted immediately, saying that his club has nothing to do with the interceptions despite Telecom Italia being one of its shareholders. “He’s got some cheek to say this kind of things – Inter has no involvement in this issue,” said the oil tycoon to La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I think De Santis’ words are very serious, he cannot ignore the damage he is causing us by making these statements.”

This latest disturbance comes at a time when the FIGC are attempting to put all the problems from this summer behind them.

Pancalli lands FIGC post

2006-09-21T11:31:00.000+01:00

Luca Pancalli has been appointed as the new Commissioner of the Italian Football Federation in place of Guido Rossi.

Pancalli is the head of the Italian Paralympic Committee and was voted unanimously by the Italian Olympic Commitee (CONI) council, who were called to find a new chief for the Italian football governing body after Rossi was forced to leave.

The former Commissioner became the head of Telecom Italia last week and it immediately became clear that he could not hold both posts, thus choosing to resign along with his assistants.

Pancalli, a 42-year-old Roman lawyer and also deputy Vice-President of the Italian Olympic Committee, was a promising pentathlete before a horse riding accident led to him being wheelchair-bound from the age of 17. He then dedicated himself to the sports for the disabled and was an excellent swimmer, winning 16 medals at the Paralympics and 10 medals in the World Championship.

“I am a man of sport and I believe in the rules,” said Pancalli to La Gazzetta dello Sport before his new role was formalised. “The job done by Rossi will not be wasted and there will be no delays in the process to renovate Italian football. Football is not only a business but also a sport and I will do all I can to bring it back to its old values. How long will I stay in place? It’s too early to say.”

The new man at the top of Italian football has promised that he will bring back serenity to the Italian game. “I want to thank CONI President Gianni Petrucci for choosing me, I can’t hide that I am very excited,” said Pancalli after his unanimous election.

“As a sportsman I am honoured at the trust that the council has given me, nominating me to guide the Football Federation which represents a very important part of Italy’s sport. I will face this adventure with dedication and commitment. I am used to facing challenges, and my main objective is to bring back the serenity we lost during the summer. I ask the media to help me with this. There has to be space for everyone to speak, that is the only way. I hope that Francesco Saverio Borrelli (head of the Investigating Office) will reconsider his resignation and that he will still be part of this team, continuing this challenging journey next to our side. I do not fear the hostility of the footballing world, I think that the time for words has ended and we now need facts.”

In his resignation letter, Rossi said he had "gradually realised", during his four-month stint, that "everything (or almost everything) was against real renewal". Rossi resigned without putting forward the keenly awaited proposals for Italian football reform he had been working on. These reportedly included ways to rein in spending and better regulate the transfer and TV rights markets, possibly via a new government authority. The task of drafting reforms will now fall to the new chief.

CONI President Gianni Petrucci confirmed that Pancalli’s mandate will end on February 28, 2007 in order to give him the time to rewrite the regulation and proceed to new elections.

Meanwhile Gigi Riva, who is currently the team manager of the Italian national team, was appointed as Federal Vice-Commissioner as was Massimo Coccia, who was chosen by Rossi to rewrite the game’s regulations.

Calciopoli investigator tenders his resigination

2006-09-20T19:59:00.000+01:00

The chief investigator for the Italian Football Federation's inquiries into the Calciopoli scandal, Francesco Saverio Borrelli, has become the latest official to present his resignation, complaining of limited powers to pursue investigations.

Borrelli, a retired criminal prosecutor who gained prominence during the 'Clean Hands' corruption probes that changed Italy's political landscape, said the powers of his office were "extremely modest". He said his resignation had been made inevitable by Monday's resignation of the Italian Football Federation's emergency commissioner Guido Rossi, the man charged with cleaning up the Calciopoli mess.

Borrelli, 76, was handpicked by Rossi, 75, to pursue the FIGC probes that led to penalties for clubs, referees and officials including the relegation of Italian champions Juventus and a five-year ban for its ex-general manager, Luciano Moggi, Calciopoli's alleged ringleader.

In his resignation letter, Borrelli said he had quit "principally" because of the resignation of Rossi, who was forced to give up his post after being named head of embattled telecoms giant Telecom Italia. But the veteran former prosecutor then answered a plea by FIGC's interim chief, Massimo Coccia, to review his position after FIGC appoints a replacement for Rossi on Thursday.

Experts said Borrelli was unhappy with the FIGC inquiry office's heavy dependence on criminal prosecutors and inability to act effectively on its own, especially in probing financial issues. They also said the ex-Clean Hands spearhead believed only a figure with the clout of Rossi could withstand vested interests within the Italian football world who were against root-and-branch reform.

Rossi: Nobody wants reform

2006-09-20T13:54:00.000+01:00

Outgoing Italian Football Federation chief Guido Rossi says there is no real desire to change the game following the match-fixing scandal that has rocked the Italian football world.

Rossi was appointed as FIGC commissioner in May after Franco Carraro quit as President, but Rossi himself stepped down this week after he was also appointed as the new head of Telecom Italia.

Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) chief Gianni Petrucci, who appointed Rossi, confirmed that he could not allow the former stock market regulator to finish his job and Rossi has hit out at the footballing community on Wednesday.

“During these months I have acknowledged the total lack of the conditions necessary for a true renovation of this movement,” said Rossi in a letter formalising his decision. “Petrucci was very courteous and I appreciate that, but unfortunately I admit that I felt there was no trust in what I was doing. I am sure the time was right to really change Italian football. But the unexpected anticipation of the formal and institutional passages that we had agreed to made me understand that there are no longer the conditions needed for a serene and frank discussion on the renovation process.”

Rossi’s relationship with the institutions was never easy and he was often accused of not really knowing the world he was trying to renew.

Lega Calcio boss Antonio Matarrese was often critical of him, but reports suggest that the Federal budget and Italy’s candidacy for the 2012 European Championships were also among the reasons that saw Rossi walk away.

His assistants Vito Gamberale and Paolo Nicoletti also resigned on Monday, whereas vice-commissioner Demetrio Albertini offered his services for the transition phase. Massimo Coccia, who was chosen by Rossi to rewrite the game’s regulations, will cover Rossi’s role until the new chief is appointed by CONI on Thursday.

CONI accept Rossi resignation

2006-09-19T16:31:00.000+01:00

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) will select a successor to Guido Rossi on Thursday after accepting his resignation as the head of the Italian Football Federation.

Rossi quit on Monday night when it became clear that he could not continue in his job after having been appointed as the new President of Telecom Italia on Friday. “Professor Rossi and vice-commissioners Vito Gamberale and Paolo Nicoletti have brought forward the end of their mandate and the Italian Olympic Committee [CONI] council have acknowledged this decision,” read an official CONI statement.

CONI adjourned their meeting until Thursday when a new man will be nominated to continue Rossi’s attempt to renovate Italian football, after it was rocked by the match-fixing scandal during the summer.

Massimo Coccia, who was chosen by Rossi to rewrite the game’s regulations, has not resigned and will cover Rossi’s role until the new chief is appointed in two days’ time. “I was not involved in this matter, none of my colleagues asked me what my intentions were so I will not resign – although my mandate remains at the disposal of CONI,” said Coccia.

“I am convinced that we did the right thing when we chose Rossi in May,” explained CONI President Gianni Petrucci (pictured). “I confirm that I have a very high consideration of the professor and the situation has simply changed. “But I believe that the renovation process of Italian football will continue, we will prove that we do not intend to cover up anything. On Thursday we will make a logical choice by appointing a person with specific characteristics, who will probably not come from the world of football.”

Meanwhile, Demetrio Albertini has said he is willing to continue aiding the Federation following the resignation of Rossi. “I totally agree with the decisions and the general policy lines of Professor Rossi,” said Albertini. “I now remit my mandate to the Italian Olympic Committee to evaluate together the conditions for the continuation of this project. I am available to help out in this transition phase and I am willing to offer my services to football and Italian sport.”

Petrucci said, “[Vice-commissioner] Demetrio Albertini will stay and I have also spoken to Roberto Donadoni and Pierluigi Casiraghi to confirm our trust in the work they are doing with the national teams.”

Rossi quits as FIGC chief

2006-09-18T23:24:00.000+01:00

Guido Rossi has resigned as Federal Commissioner of the Italian Football Federation, along with his assistants Vito Gamberale, Paolo Nicoletti and Demetrio Albertini.

Rossi was appointed to lead the Federation after chief Franco Carraro left the FIGC in May, when the match-fixing scandal broke, but was also chosen as President of Telecom Italia on Friday – causing discomfort amongst many clubs.

The Commissioner and his staff met the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) chief Gianni Petrucci, who confirmed that a conflict of interests problem existed which would not allow Rossi to continue in his job at the FIGC.

“Rossi and his Vice-Commissioners suggested the conditions necessary for them to hand out a structural renovation of Italian football,” read an official FIGC statement during the night. “After several meetings with the institutions involved, the Commissioner and his staff have verified that the circumstances do not allow them to continue in their job and they have therefore decided to resign.”

Reports suggest that Rossi and his staff had asked to remain in their place until the end of October – in order to finalise the new football regulations – and wouldn’t have pushed for a new mandate, but Petrucci ruled out such a possibility.

Another man must now be found to lead the crisis-hit FIGC, as Gamberale was one of the main candidates to replace Rossi. Petrucci may be forced to temporarily substitute the resigning Commissioner himself, although he does not seem keen on the option, but a power vacuum in this delicate phase is inconceivable. The names of Gianni Letta and Raffaele Pagnozzi – who was Extraordinary Commissioner from 1996 to 1997 – have also been suggested as possible alternatives and the CONI council will discuss the FIGC’s future in a meeting on Wednesday.

FIGC in chaos as Rossi takes charge of Telecom Italia

2006-09-16T18:12:00.000+01:00

The world of Italian football has reacted angrily to news that FIGC Commissioner Guido Rossi has taken charge of Telecom Italia – a clear conflict of interest.

Appointed in an emergency capacity to lead the Federation through the match-fixing scandal in May, Rossi stunned the sporting community when he was appointed President of the troubled telecommunication company late last night.
Although he has not formally handed in his resignation from the FIGC – and the CONI chief Gianni Petrucci confirmed he had only heard about the development through the news agencies – it would be practically impossible for him to continue in both positions.

“Rossi has no intention of leaving. I am convinced he’ll stay on,” FIGC Vice-President Vito Gamberale was quoted as saying in today’s newspapers.

But Rossi cannot lead Telecom through its controversial reconstruction plans and rewrite the Calcio rulebooks, as it would be a clear conflict of interest – the very situation his appointment was meant to prevent. Telecom Italia owns Alice (who show football on their mobile phone services), TIM (who sponsor Serie A and B) and La7 (a television channel that has 10 clubs in its digital pay-per-view package).

“How many posts can he hold? At this point I think it’s opportune for Rossi to resign, at the very least from his position as Extraordinary Commissioner for the FIGC,” said Minister for Justice Clemente Mastella.

“I am awaiting clarification,” added Minister for Sport Giovanna Melandri. “One thing has to be clear – the reformation of football must not be interrupted in any way.”

Rossi had been hailed by some quarters as the saviour of calcio, but bitterly criticised by others, such as Fiorentina President Diego Della Valle.

“I’m very glad he’s taking this position, I’m sure he’ll be well suited to the job,” sarcastically noted Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini. “Now we’ll get a new President for the FIGC, it can’t be that hard. We must immediately call a meeting and elect a new Federal chief. I’ve been asking for this for a long time.”

Now the race is on to find another man to lead the Federation – it would be the third such figure in five months, as Franco Carraro resigned in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal on May 16.

The Federation will be hoping to appoint a new chief before the tricky arbitration for those punished in the match-fixing trial take place in October. The appointment could either be with someone outside of the football world, in which case the prime candidates are Gianni Letta and Gamberale.

If the clubs choose a return to having the sport dictated by a person who knows the environment well, then current CONI chief Petrucci (who already took over temporarily in 2000) or Raffaele Pagnozzi (who was Extraordinary Commissioner from 1996 to 1997) are the most likely options.

Refs' zero tolerance on clubs

2006-09-16T18:06:00.000+01:00

New refereeing designator Stefano Tedeschi (pictured, right) warns he'll report any club official who tries to phone him in the wake of the match-fixing scandal.

Paolo Bergamo’s successor does not intend to accept any pressure from the clubs and wants this to be very clear after the scandal that rocked Italian football during the summer.

“There are rules that exist and must be respected. If the club Presidents have complaints about refereeing decisions, they must speak to the Lega Calcio,” said Tedeschi in newspaper ‘Il Corriere dello Sport’.

“The Referees’ Association Commissioner Luigi Agnolin (pictured, left) and myself are the only people allowed to speak with the referees, no one else should dare to do so,” added the designator. “I will immediately report any Presidents who try to call me and they will have to face the consequences.”

Former designator Bergamo confirmed on Monday that he used to receive calls from everyone, including Inter, Roma and Milan. “They would call me if they needed any clarification,” explained Bergamo, who resigned from his post before the Calciopoli sporting trial got underway.

Tedeschi also wants to eradicate the long-lasting habit of presents being given to the referees by the clubs. “No gifts worth more than 130 Euros will be allowed and there will be no exceptions. Our referees used to go on to the pitch with too much pressure on them, so my first objective is to bring back serenity and make everyone understand that we will not tolerate any servile behaviour. Only the best referees will get on, we are here to offer our services to football, not to a group of clubs. It’s time to turn over a new leaf and I am sure we will slowly be able to do so.”

CONI arbitration dates set

2006-09-15T14:51:00.000+01:00

Juventus, Milan and Lazio are scheduled to appear in front of the Italian Olympic Committee's (CONI) Arbitration Court on Wednesday 11 October, followed by Fiorentina the day after.

The four clubs were punished in the aftermath of the match-fixing 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.

CONI have confirmed that the hearings will take place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome and the President of the board of arbitrators will be Pierluigi Ronzani, with the aid of Guido Cecinelli, Marcello Foschini, Luigi Fumagalli and Giulio Napolitano.

Juventus, who were stripped of their last two Serie A titles and demoted to the Second Division with a 17-point deduction, had initially threatened to appeal to the TAR Lazio civil court. The Bianconeri then dropped the option, choosing to remain within sporting justice, in the hope of seeing the point deduction reduced or totally scrapped.

Milan instead began their Serie A season with an eight-point penalty, Fiorentina were docked 19 points and Lazio 11.

Third parties interested in taking part in the debate must present their request to CONI by September 25, confirmed an official statement on the Committee’s official website.

Matarrese opens new chapter

2006-09-11T21:42:00.000+01:00

Italian Football League chief Antonio Matarrese is optimistic that this summer’s scandals can be archived after the season started over the weekend.

“I think that everyone understood the lesson, there is the will to show that Italian football has changed,” Matarrese told Radio RAI.

The game was thrown into disarray last May when the match-fixing scandal erupted, one which led to numerous clubs being docked points and Juventus even being demoted to Serie B. Yet the new campaign finally kicked off on Friday night with a Serie B fixture and Serie A followed suit with Roma-Livorno.

“We started off in the right way,” added Matarrese. “Only time will tell if we were right or wrong, but we can’t afford to make any more mistakes. Any further false moves would be suicidal, there is tension inside the Lega because we want to prove that we deserve to be forgiven by the supporters and by public opinion. I believe that some changes have already taken place. The new season began with all clubs being placed on a level playing field.”

FIGC commissioner Guido Rossi – hired after the Italian Football Federation was placed into administration – is currently rewriting the sport’s rules, but Matarrese insists they were already in place.

“The problem was that someone did not respect the rules, Rossi now needs to work with the Lega to give new credibility to our movement,” he added. “One thing that needs to be done is to avoid that the individuals involved in the scandal continue working in football as if nothing happened. Francesco Borrelli [the FIGC Calciopoli investigator] is not enough to cancel the system, we need other men who know Italian football from the inside, that is the only way we can really start over.”

New Season Kicks-off

2006-09-10T22:11:00.000+01:00

Juventus were held to an embarrassing draw against 10-men Rimini in the Turin club's first Serie B appearance following their demotion for their leading role in the match-fixing scandal.

Didier Deschamps' side have a points total of minus 16 after starting their campaign in the second division with a 17-point deduction. The club was also been stripped of the past two Serie A titles.

Juve may have had their title revoked, but they were still wearing the 'Tricolore' symbol today. In Italy, the title holders have the right to wear the shield on their shirts (representing the previous season's achievements) and, as a result of the match-fixing scandal, the 2005-06 Championship was revoked and handed to Internazionale instead. However, the team kept its achievements in full view during today’s Serie B debut, wearing special wristbands with the Scudetto insignia. All the players had this item, as did directors John and Lapo Elkann and director Jean Claude Blanc (pictured).

Arezzo, the other Serie B club involved in the scandal, were also held to a 1-1 draw at home to Mantova on Friday night. The result means they are now on minus five points.

In Serie A meanwhile, AC Milan made a good start to their initial task of overturning their eight-point penalty by fending off a late Lazio comeback to record a 2-1 victory. The visitors themselves began the season with an 11-point penalty.

Fiorentina kicked off their new campaign with a 3-2 defeat against Inter and are looking at a very long season after being hit with a 19-point deduction. The fourth Serie A club involved, Reggina, were defeated at Palermo despite scoring three goals away. They had hoped to chip away at their 15-point penalty but lost 4-3.

To keep up-to-date with all the the latest action on the field, please head over to the Italian Calcio blog!

Moggi "was protecting Juve"

2006-09-10T12:38:00.000+01:00

Disgraced director general Luciano Moggi went on television today to insist he was only trying to protect Juventus from the “real powers” in football.

“My mistake was in trying to protect Juventus,” explained the transfer guru at the centre of the scandal. “For nine years this club didn’t win anything in Italy and now they’ll go back to that record, because the real system was not the one people might think.”

Moggi’s wiretapped telephone conversations with high-ranking officials in the FIGC and Referees’ Association (AIA) were the reason Juve were demoted to Serie B with a 17-point penalty, but he insists he did nothing wrong. “All I ever did was ask questions to check that the best referees were in place and I don’t think that is sporting fraud. It’s true, I made phone calls, just like many others did. Where are the rules barring conversation?”

Banned from taking a job in football as a result of the trial, Moggi has now been interviewed by a series of television companies in a bid to clear his name. “I have understood that the public knows what happened, that I did nothing wrong. When it comes to wiretapped telephone calls, you have to do a complete job and not just for one person or a certain percentage of these conversations.”

Juventus are now in Serie B and, while their appeal could see the 17-point penalty reduced, Moggi believes there were power games at work far stronger than his own. “Something happened in the trial to prevent me from defending myself. Juve’s lawyer also made a mistake in accepting Serie B with a penalty. Gianni Agnelli hired me and unfortunately he is no longer with us. If he had been here, all of this wouldn’t have happened.”

The legendary figures of the Agnelli family, Gianni and his brother Umberto, died in recent years and it’s widely believed that the club has lost its way without their leadership.

Juve 'need five years' to recover

2006-09-09T12:30:00.000+01:00

Juventus director Jean Claude Blanc warns it’ll take five years for them to return to their former glories.

“We’re in Serie B and out of Europe, so we need to renegotiate our sponsorship contracts. We had to have a solid and credible project to convince Tamoil at the other business partners to stay, explaining this team will return to the top,” said the Frenchman. “Sky Italia and Nike are also interested in remaining, as this is an opportunity for them to share in the history of a club that has its roots in 109 years of glory. I’ll propose a four-year contract with Tamoil, because that’s how long we’ll need to complete the project.”

The Bianconeri hope to achieve promotion back into the top flight immediately, even with the 17-point handicap, but Blanc warns the fans will need to be more patient. “We must be clear and explain to the supporters that we are doing the utmost to defend the honour and reputation of Juventus. We all want the same thing, but if I say we’ll need four or five years to achieve it, that’s realistic rather than a lack of ambition. With Juve in Serie B we have reached the end of an era and it took a long time to build that squad.”

The Turin giants are already out of the Coppa Italia and begin their campaign away to Rimini. “We have maintained a competitive side with eight internationals,” pointed out Blanc. “It wasn’t a wise decision from a financial perspective, but if we consider our ambitions and the history of this side, it was the correct choice.”

Moggi's CONI case adjourned

2006-09-07T16:52:00.000+01:00

The CONI conciliation court has adjourned Luciano Moggi’s hearing until September 21, as the former Juve official continues his battle against the punishments he recieved following the match-fixing scandal.

The ex-director general of the Bianconeri club was handed a five-year ban and a first appeal to civil court TAR was already rejected in August.

Conciliator Ciro Pellegrino explained the reasons behind Thursday’s decision. “Moggi resigned from his role during the disciplinary procedure and this may now represent a conflict with the compromise clause,” he stated.

In fact, the former Juve director is no longer a member of the Federation and therefore may not be allowed to appeal to CONI – the Italian Olympic Committee.

“Moggi will have to appear in person on September 21, we will then be able to decide on the matter,” added Pellegrino.

The FIGC lawyer Luigi Medugno is instead convinced that Moggi’s conciliation request is not admissible. “Moggi affirms that he is no longer a member of the Federation, but this also means that he cannot ask to conciliate with us,” he noted.

Moggi offers Facchetti apology

2006-09-07T02:25:00.000+01:00

Former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi has revealed his regret that Giacinto Facchetti’s name was brought up in the match-fixing scandal.

Moggi has offered his apology to the Inter legend’s family on the day of his funeral after the former Bianconeri official mentioned Facchetti in intercepted telephone conversations which set off the investigation. “It is banal to say that we will miss him, but I feel the need to apologise for involving him,” said Moggi to La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I had no idea the situation was that serious. We have lost a champion that I was lucky enough to see in action many times with the ‘Grande Inter’ and the Nazionale. He was a strong and determined man, inspired by deep sporting values,” continued the controversial figure. “He was an example first as a player and then as an official, everyone who loves football will miss him dearly. I ask everyone, most of all his family, to forgive me if he was involved in situations that he did not deserve to be associated with. These are sincere apologies. I knew he was not well, but I was not aware of the seriousness of his condition. I hope his wife and children will forgive me and I offer my condolences to Massimo Moratti and all the Inter club,” concluded Moggi.

Italy mourn Facchetti loss

Juve lodge appeal over points loss

2006-09-07T02:12:00.000+01:00

Juventus lodged an appeal with the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) after deciding against taking their case to the civil courts last week.

Juve had originally threatened to go straight to the civil courts with their case, but the possibility of sanctions saw them step back and now an official appeal has been handed in to the CONI for arbitration. Now accepting their Serie B status, the Bianconeri are eager to have their 17-point penalty reduced or even wiped out completely.

The conciliation meetings with the FIGC have so far been disappointing, as the two parties are often too far apart in their demands.

Meanwhile here's a round-up of the rest of the main stories...

Tullio Lanese, the former chief of the AIA (Referees’ Association), failed to have his two year and six month ban reduced.

Referee De Santis also emerged from the FIGC meeting without a deal to cut his four-year suspension and is now evaluating his options. “I think the Calciopoli trial was rushed and affected by this desire for rough justice,” said the referee. “I believe that if those judges who made the initial sentences were to evaluate the situation today, they would act differently.”

Yesterday, another referee, Gianluca Paparesta was suspended for eight months as part of the scandal. The whistle-blower is already sitting out a three-month ban from the original trial, but this new punishment comes from the AIA Disciplinary Commission and will run from October 20, 2006 to June 19, 2007. The prosecutor had asked for a two-year suspension after wiretapped telephone conversations with ex-Milan referee liaison Leonardo Meani. Paparesta was also punished for failing to report an incident that followed a Reggina-Juventus match in 2004-05. Former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi locked the referee in his dressing room after Paparesta disallowed a last-minute Juve equaliser in their 2-1 defeat at the Stadio Granillo. He is expected to lodge an appeal.

The CONI conciliation meetings continue to disappoint. Both Lazio President Claudio Lotito and ex-Juventus director Antonio Giraudo failed to reach an agreement, so they’ll move on to the next stage of the appeals process. It’s now believed Giraudo, who was banned for five years, will skip the next phase and appeal straight to the TAR tribunal. “We are determined to go all the way. We’ll go to the civil courts and the TAR tribunal. There are no other possible alternatives.”

President Lotito has pointed out he’ll remain “within the confines of the sporting justice system. The facts will show whether we were right or not, but I repeat that I had nothing to do with this whole situation.” Lotito was suspended for two years and six months, while Lazio were ordered to begin the 2006-07 campaign with an 11-point handicap.

Juve withdraw from civil action

2006-09-01T04:20:00.000+01:00

Juventus have dropped their appeal to the civil court against demotion for their part in the match-fixing scandal. The Italian giants were set to appear in front of the TAR Lazio tribunal today, but have now opted to withdraw from going down that path.

The Turin club took the step after a club board meeting which went on for around four hours last night. "The board has decided unanimously to withdraw the appeal it made in the past few days to the regional court of Lazio," a club statement read. "[We will] turn instead to CONI'S court of arbitration."

President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli met FIGC commissioner Guido Rossi and CONI chief Gianni Petrucci in Rome on Wednesday where it seems that the Old Lady were persuaded to reject the TAR Lazio route.

The club have confirmed that they will now meet with CONI’s court of arbitration in a last ditch attempt to have their points deduction reduced or scrapped.

The Old Lady of Italian football were demoted to Serie B, handed a 17-point handicap and were stripped of their last two Italian titles for their part in the scandal.

The FIGC and FIFA had both warned Juventus that they could face further sanctions if they went ahead with civil action and the world’s governing body threatened to throw Italy out of the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

The opening day of the Serie A and Serie B season has already been put back two weeks to 9/10 September as a result of the legal process. The fixtures were released on Wednesday in Rome.

View Juventus Statement here >>>
View New Season Fixtures here >>>

Milan & Fiorentina's appeals fail

2006-08-29T19:55:00.000+01:00

The CONI conciliation meeting between the FIGC and Milan failed on Tuesday, as the club attempts to see their point deduction for this season reduced. Hours after Milan’s rejection, Fiorentina also failed in their conciliation and both clubs will now go to the CONI arbitration, just as Lazio decided to do last week.

The Rossoneri were handed an eight-point penalty for the new Serie A campaign for their involvement in the match-fixing scandal. The Viola were handed a 19-point deficit for their involvement.

“The club and the FIGC were not able to conciliate, but the parties have agreed on the possibility of trying arbitration,” read an official Milan statement.

Leandro Cantamessa, one of Milan’s lawyers, was hoping in a better outcome although he was not totally disappointed. “We would have preferred to conciliate today, but we are moderately satisfied of the fact that the home ban was suspended,” said Cantamessa. “We will continue our fight within arbitration. These are the rules of the game and Milan play by the rules. We hope the point deduction will be reduced, but if that were not the case we will accept the decision.”

Cantamessa has therefore ruled out the possibility that his club could turn to the civil justice system and appeal to the Lazio Tar.

“Conciliation failed, the parties remain on two different positions,” said Enrico Ingrilli, the lawyer in charge of the Fiorentina hearing.

“A mediation took place, the club and the FIGC agreed to go to arbitration and to suspend the additional penalties. If both parties will be satisfied there will be no need to go further, but at the time being no possibility can be excluded,” added Ingrilli. “The FIGC is determined to confirm the points deduction.”

Ingrilli did not rule out the possibility that Fiorentina may appeal to the civil justice system, although this option seems unlikely. “Everyone has the right to appeal to TAR, but I believe Fiorentina have proved their will to keep this controversy within the sporting justice system and this is positive,” concluded the lawyer.

In the meanwhile, the additional punishments handed to Milan, a one-match home ban and the €100,000 fine, and to Fiorentina, a three-match home ban and a €100,000 fine, were suspended until the next hearing.

Juve-FIGC to call truce?

2006-08-28T00:05:00.000+01:00

Juventus have confirmed that they are in negotiations with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to halt their legal battle, which could see them remain in Serie B without a points penalty.

“We are in talks with the FIGC,” announced Bianconeri President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli this evening. “We are ready to negotiate with the CONI Olympic Committee.”

The club had sparked an increasingly vicious legal battle in a bid to have their Serie A status restored following the match-fixing scandal. A conciliation meeting failed and they lodged an appeal to the TAR tribunal, asking for £92m in damages if they were forced to remain in Serie B. The FIGC reacted by threatening their own court case and further sanctions against the Turin giants, but new reports suggest there is a new strategy in place.

It’s believed that Juventus were using the TAR option in order to force the Federation’s hand and step down from their original strict view of the issue. The Bianconeri’s lawyer had stated during the match-fixing trial that they’d accept Serie B without a handicap, so while Juve may publicly claim they will not stop until their top flight status is restored, their real aim is to have the 17-point penalty wiped out or at least drastically reduced. This figure is already a ‘discount’ on the original verdict of a 30-point handicap.

Reggina lose appeal; Arezzo not happy

2006-08-26T17:43:00.002+01:00

Reggina’s 15-point deduction has been confirmed on appeal in the match-fixing trial, but Arezzo’s nine-point penalty was reduced to six.

The clubs went to the Federal Court after the original trial at the CAF inflicted a 15-point sanction on the Amaranto and a nine-point penalty on the Serie B side, but both retained their Divisional status.

It was widely reported that the penalties for purported match-fixing and pressure on referees would be slashed on appeal, but that turned out not to be the case. The Stadio Granillo side will still kick off the new season from –15 points, making it an uphill struggle to avoid relegation. Reggina President Lillo Foti (pictured) was suspended for two years and six months and the appeal court also confirmed that decision. Arezzo’s nine-point penalty for the 2006-07 campaign has been cut to just six. Both clubs have the option of continuing their legal challenges in a conciliation meeting with the FIGC. However, the sanctions on the other individuals in the controversial match against Salernitana – ex-member of the Referees’ Association Gennaro Mazzei, linesman Stefano Titomanlio and former Milan refereeing liaison Leonardo Meani – were upheld. The punishments are a three-year suspension for the first two names and a three-month ban for the Rossoneri official.

Both clubs have announced plans for further legal challenges. “Reggina Calcio S.p.A and its President [Lillo Foti] consider the decision unjust and unbalanced. It is damaging to our sporting rights, the club, the city and its fans,” read an official statement. “We will defend our rights in all the competent courts necessary, but continue to act in silence to protect the club’s image.” The next legal step is a conciliation meeting with CONI and the FIGC in a bid to work out a plea bargain, reducing that 15-point penalty.

Meanwhile, Arezzo were not satisfied with their outcome. “The sentence remains inadequate for the situation,” insisted director Giovanni Cappietti, who announced they would seek a conciliation debate.

The sentences handed out means four clubs will begin the new Serie A season with a handicap: Fiorentina (-19), Reggina (-15), Lazio (-11) and Milan (-8). Juventus (-17) and Arezzo (-6) will start the Serie B campaign from below zero.

View FIGC Statement (Italian) >>>

Juve claim FIGC damages

2006-08-26T17:43:00.001+01:00

Juventus are claiming massive damages from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) over their demotion to Serie B.

The request is included in the appeal presented to the TAR Lazio civil court and amounts up to £92m, representing the economic loss allegedly suffered by the club because of its relegation. The Turin outfit officially presented their appeal to the Lazio tribunal on Thursday which mainly consisted of two parts. Juve asked for their immediate reinstatement to Serie A, eventually with the 17-point deduction which was handed out by the sporting justice system. The Bianconeri also stated that they suffered major economic losses because of the scandal and believe they should be compensated by the FIGC who they deem responsible for the situation. Juve quantified the damage of £50m if they were to play in this season’s Serie A and £92m if the Second Division were instead to be confirmed.

The main motivation of the appeal was the belief that the sanctions were unjustified and unfair when compared with those given to the other guilty clubs, as confirmed by Juventus chief Giovanni Cobolli Gigli. The FIGC and CONI (the Italian Olympic Committee) are now ready to reply with their claim for damages, considering the Bianconeri responsible for undermining the credibility of the Italian Championship, as well as sport in general. An extra hearing may be scheduled by the TAR Lazio on August 31, to specifically discuss Juve’s case.

Juve ignore FIFA threat and appeal

2006-08-24T14:13:00.000+01:00

Juventus have ignored threats of more sanctions by appealing to a civil court against their demotion for their part in the match-fixing scandal. After losing an appeal to Italy's Olympic Committee (CONI) Juve have taken their case to the TAR Lazio tribunal.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) warned of further punishments if the scandal-hit club persist with their appeal. The game's governing body FIFA has also warned Italy could be thrown out of the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign if Juve continue their fight. They confirmed on Wednesday that the situation would be “monitored carefully” and further decisions might be taken, should the circumstances require them.

Juve's persistence in continuing their fight has already thrown the Italian domestic season into turmoil. Fixture lists for the forthcoming season are due to be published on 30 August, and the start of the season has already been put back to 9/10 September. Both the FIGC and Lega Calcio (Football League) have guaranteed that there will be no further delays. If Juve's appeal is successful the season could be delayed by a further two weeks.

The Lazio Regional Administrative Court has special powers to rule in sporting cases and will hear the case on 6 September.

FIFA say Juve's decision to involve civil law is against its rules and has threatened to suspend the FIGC.

Read Juventus Statement (Italian) >>>

FIFA warning; Lazio's appeal fails

2006-08-24T00:31:00.000+01:00

FIFA said Italy could be thrown out of the qualifying campaign for Euro 2008 if Juventus continue to fight relegation to Serie B for match-fixing.

Juve were relegated and docked 17 points for trying to exert influence over referees and are now trying to take their appeal to a civil court. That would be against FIFA's rules and could lead to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) being suspended.

The FIGC has already told Juventus it would impose sanctions if they go to a civil court. In a letter the FIGC said it would not "hesitate to launch the sanction process" if Juve press ahead with their plan to lodge an appeal with the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio (TAR). The FIGC also said Juve had not yet formally lodged their appeal.

Juve were relegated for their role in the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italy and were initially docked 30 points, which was reduced to 17 on appeal. Lazio, Fiorentina, AC Milan, and recently Reggina, have been implicated and all will start next season with point deductions. But Juve are the only Serie A team to have been relegated.

The club announced on Monday it would take its appeal against the FIGC's decision to the TAR. The FIGC reported on their website that they have sent a letter to FIFA explaining their objections to Juve's decision to appeal to the TAR.

The club responded with a statement from their lawyer, Riccardo Montanaro. “We are not taking any illegal steps. If we go to the TAR, it is because the Italian law allows it.”

Meanwhile, Lazio's appeal against their match-fixing penalty has failed. They were docked 11 points for the new season and were kicked out of European competition and fined 100,000 euros having originally qualified for the UEFA Cup from last season's league finish.

Lazio, who had been demanding a reduction in the penalty, will now take their appeal before a CONI (Italian Olympic Committee) arbitration. “We will ask for the elimination of all the sanctions put on this club for the current season,” explained lawyer Ugo Longo. “There are all the elements needed for Lazio to start a campaign without a handicap or suspension.”

CONI have also confirmed that there will not be another delay to the start of the season. The big kick off has already been put back two weeks because of the match-fixing scandal, but chief Gianni Petrucci insists Juventus’ decision to fight on in the civil courts will not cause another hold-up. “Postponement is not an option, the new season will start on September 9 as scheduled,” said Petrucci. “We respect the TAR’s decisions, but I admit there are things that I fear more than an eventual delay in next season’s Serie A start.”

FIGC Statement (Italian) >>>

Ex-Juve pair fail in appeal

2006-08-24T00:24:00.000+01:00

The Tar Lazio civil court has rejected the appeals of Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo (pictured) against their five-year bans from the sport.

The former Juventus directors were suspended from footballing activity in the aftermath of the match-fixing probe which considered them as the main figures in the investigation.The duo attempted to overturn the sporting justice system’s sentences but with no success.

Tar Lazio has not yet released the motivations that led to the rejection, but it may be because the duo’s position is still pending within sporting jurisdiction. The CONI Conciliation Court has yet to express their opinion on the petition filed by the pair seeing as their hearings are scheduled for September 5 and 7. “The Juventus representatives had the full and concrete intention of falsifying the table by conditioning referees,” stated CAF appeal court President Pietro Santulli after the last verdict was handed out last month. “Moggi was responsible for serious episodes of sporting fraud and seeing that his illicit design was eventually successful, he damaged the public’s faith in the fairness of sporting competition.” Moggi and Giraudo have denied any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Lega Calcio chief Antonio Matarrese has confirmed that the 2006-07 season will start on September 9 despite Juventus’ appeal to the civil courts. “The new season is scheduled to start on the weekend of September 9 and 10 and that is what we can confirm,” said Matarrese. “I can not make any forecast and I don’t know what will happen, but at this moment in time I can guarantee that the Serie A and Serie B fixtures for the new season remain set to be drawn up in Rome on August 30. I understand that Juventus are living a very dramatic moment in their history and I respect them, but we also have to respect all the other teams.”

Juventus decided to appeal to the TAR Lazio in an attempt to regain their top-flight status on Monday, after the conciliation meeting with the Italian Football Federation on Friday failed to reduce their punishments.The Bianconeri will now be called to appear in front of the TAR on September 6 which has cast doubt on the start of the campaign. Should the Italian giants be reinstated to Serie A, the court could potentially block the new season’s kick off. TAR President Pasquale De Lise stated that the option of an extra hearing in August is being considered to specifically discuss Juve’s case and to avoid any further delays. “We cannot exclude that there will be a special hearing in August, but it’s too early now to set a date,” said De Lise. “There is a hearing scheduled for August 22 and we now have to see if we can add another one, respecting all the claimants and the correct procedures.”

Juve launch appeal at the civil court

2006-08-21T15:47:00.000+01:00

Juventus have launched another appeal in an attempt to overturn their demotion to Serie B. The club have lodged an appeal with the TAR Lazio civil court, after their original complaint was rejected by the Italian Olympic Committee's arbitration court (CONI) on Friday.

The club were originally docked 30 points, which has since been reduced to 17, and stripped of their last two titles. The outfit have failed to digest that punishment and have opted for the civil courts route for what they believe is a disproportionate sanction given that other indicted clubs such as Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina and Reggina escaped relegation.

“The verdict was unfair and too severe, even more when considering that Juventus were the only club to take their responsibilities, basically reorganising their entire organisation,” read a statement.

Juventus removed guilty parties Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo from the club immediately after the scandal broke and were hoping this would earn them favour.

“Relegation will, above all, gravely damage the identity of Juventus," the note continued. “In over a century of existence, Juve have contributed to writing the history of Italian football with a tradition of excellence which is alive as demonstrated by the nine Juventus players who took part in the recent World Cup Final.”

President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli had already stressed the fact that his club would continue in their chase for Serie A readmission. “We have to safeguard the honour of Juventus and the motivations of the Federal Court verdict convinced us that we have to fight for this team” he stated.

The Bianconeri will now be called to appear in front of the TAR on September 6 which does raise doubts over the start of the season.

Fixture lists for the forthcoming season are set to be published on 30 August, with the start of the season already put back to 9/10 September. Should they successfully win back their place in the top flight then the court could potentially block the start of the season. However, there are a number of risks which come with the path that the Italian giants have now chosen to take. The FIGC could even increase Juventus’ points penalty if they fail to overrule the initial judgement.

Read the Juventus statement here >>>

Juve's appeal fails

2006-08-18T23:28:00.000+01:00

Juventus have failed in their latest attempt to overturn their punishment in the Italian match-fixing scandal.

Juve were relegated for their role in the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italy and were docked 30 points, which has since been reduced to 17. The club's appeal was held at the Italian Olympic Committee's arbitration court (CONI) at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, but Italy's Football Federation (FIGC) refused to back down. Juve, who were stripped of their last two titles, said it would discuss what, if any action, in a board meeting on Monday.

CONI brought together the clubs' directors and the FIGC to seek an agreement regarding the appeal, but a Juve statement said the meeting had "not resulted in any conciliation". "We will examine all of our options calmly, convinced as we are, in our search for a more fair punishment," said chairman Cobolli Gigli. He added they could potentially take the case outside the sports justice system to a civil court (TAR Tribunal) or even to the European Court of Justice.

The other three clubs embroiled in the scandal - Fiorentina, Lazio and Milan and their officials are also taking their cases to CONI in the coming few days.

Read the Juventus statement here >>>

VERDICTS: Points deducted off Reggina and Arezzo

2006-08-17T23:21:00.000+01:00

Reggina have avoided demotion to Serie B but will start next season with a 15-point deduction for their role in the match-fixing scandal. President Pasquale "Lillo" Foti (pictured) has also been banned for two-and-a-half years and fined £20,000, while the club must also pay a £68,000 fine. Prosecutors had requested the Southern club to be demoted to the Second Division.

Meanwhile, Serie B club Arezzo avoided demotion to Serie C but will start next season with a nine-point deduction.

Referees Paolo Dondarini and Pieri have been cleared of wrongdoing, but linesman Stefano Titomanlio and his designator Gennaro Mazzei were slapped with three year bans. Leonardo Meani, a former AC Milan employee, was handed a three month stop and his former club were fined £7,000.

Here's a rundown off all the verdicts handed out...

Reggina
- Remain in Serie A.
- 15 points deducted.
- Fined £68,000.
- Pasquale Foti banned from football for 2.5 years and fined £20,000.

Arezzo
- Remain in Serie B
- 9 points deducted.

AC Milan
- Fined £7,000.
- Leonardo Meani banned from football for 3 months.

Referees' Association Officials
- Gennaro Mazzei banned from football for 3 years.

Linesmen
- Stefano Titomanlio banned from football for 3 years.

News Round-up: August 11-16th

2006-08-17T22:34:00.000+01:00

11/08/2006: Despite claiming they wouldn’t appeal the eight-point deduction, AC Milan have confirmed they will enter the CONI Conciliation. "Our objective is to shave off as many points as possible from that sentence,” explained lawyer Leandro Cantamessa. “Unfortunately, due to the time frame, there’s nothing we can do about being forced into the Champions League preliminary round. This is our final appeal, though, so we won’t be going to the TAR tribunal.” The Rossoneri had originally been frozen out of Europe altogether and ordered to start the 2006-07 campaign with a 15-point penalty, but the appeal allowed them into the Champions League via the back door – they currently lead 1-0 over Red Star Belgrade ahead of the August 23 second leg – and cut the handicap to eight points. Milan had hinted there would be no further legal action, but they are also now included in the CONI Conciliation and Arbitration Committee hearings on August 29.

13/08/2006: The Federal Prosecutor has asked for Reggina to be demoted into Serie B and penalised 15 points for their part in the match-fixing scandal. After hearing evidence from the club, FIGC prosecutor Stefano Palazzi put forward his requests to the judges. Reggina are accused of sporting fraud for three games in the 2004-05 season played against Atalanta, Sampdoria and Palermo. “The FIGC believes it’s clear that Reggina tried to gain an improved position in the table by altering the balance between the two teams,” explained Palazzi. “It’s a system we think is proven beyond doubt, as there was contact with the referee before the individual matches.” Wiretapped phone conversations between President Lillo Foti and refereeing designator Paolo Bergamo provide the evidence for an alleged attempt to earn favours for the Southern club. If found guilty, they risk demotion to Serie B and a 15-point handicap for the new campaign. President Foti’s position was met with a request for a five-year ban with further action to possibly bar him from football altogether.

14/08/2006: Federal Prosecutor Stefano Palazzi has asked for Arezzo to be demoted into Serie C with a three-point deduction, for their alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal. Day two of the trial following the second wave of the match-fixing investigations saw Palazzi listen to the Tuscan club’s defence and then put forward his requests to the judges. Arezzo are under investigation with regard to their match with Salernitana in the 2004-05 Serie B season. A telephone conversation between former FIGC official Gennaro Mazzei and linesman Stefano Titomanlio mentioned “holding back” Salernitana, thus causing Arezzo’s indictment. Palazzi believes that the club's behaviour was evidently intended to favour Arezzo, although no evidence was found that there were any club officials directly involved. Palazzi asked for a five-year ban for both Mazzei and Titomanlio, judging their conduct even more serious in consideration of the categories they represented. A three-month ban was also requested for former Milan referees’ liaison Leonardo Meani, accused of failing to report an alleged irregularity to the authorities. As a result, the Rossoneri risk a 10,000 Euro fine.

16/08/2006: Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio, Milan and their officials will lodge their appeals to the CONI Court of Conciliation and Arbitration to have their punishments reduced. If the clubs and officials are not satisfied with CONI, the highest degree in sporting justice, they may decide to appeal to the civil courts, namely the Lazio TAR Tribunal. Here are the dates of the appointments with CONI...

Aug 18 (1500): Juventus. Messina, Lecce and Brescia have formally been admitted to Juve’s meeting as third parties in the scandal, as they seek a return to Serie A.
Aug 23 (1100): Lazio
Aug 29 (1100): AC Milan
Aug 29 (1230): Fiorentina
Aug 29 (1500): Treviso will be seeking a return to Serie A, as they were originally placed back in the top flight following the first sentences.
Sep 05 (0930): Claudio Lotito (Lazio President)
Sep 05 (1130): Adriano Galliani (Milan vice-President)
Sep 05 (1330): Sandro Mencucci (Fiorentina Official)
Sep 05 (1500): Antonio Giraudo (Former Juventus Chief Executive)
Sep 06 (1100): Massimo De Santis (Referee)
Sep 06 (1300): Tullio Lanese (Former President of Referee's Association)
Sep 07 (1100): Innocenzo Mazzini (Former FIGC vice-President)
Sep 07 (1200): Luciano Moggi (Former Juventus General Manager)
Sep 13 (1100): Andrea & Diego Della Valle (Fiorentina Owners)

New Milan indictment

2006-08-08T22:36:00.000+01:00

AC Milan’s match-fixing trial isn’t over yet, as the club was indicted as part of the second wave of investigations.

On Monday, Reggina were indicted for sporting fraud after investigation into six of their games in the 2004-05 season. President Lillo Foti, former refereeing designator Paolo Bergamo and referees Pieri and Paolo Dondarini were also indicted by FIGC prosecutor Stefano Palazzi.

The area of the inquiry that relates to Milan, however, is that concerning Arezzo’s Serie B encounter with Salernitana that same season and a telephone conversation in which a linesman mentioned “holding back” Salernitana as they were attacking. Arezzo and three unnamed members of the club have been indicted.

Tonight it emerged that Milan were also on Palazzi’s list put forward to the sporting tribunal due to former referees’ liaison for the club Leonardo Meani (pictured).

Meani was the man responsible for wiretapped telephone calls that saw Milan stripped of their automatic Champions League qualifying place, the chance to win the 2005-06 Scudetto and ordered to begin the next season with an eight-point handicap.

“It is with immense amazement that AC Milan discovered they had been indicted for indirect responsibility for an alleged irregularity by Leonardo Meani, relating to an event that supposedly took place around Arezzo-Salernitana in 2004-05,” read an official statement from the club. “This was a Serie B match and the personal behaviour of Meani could not in any way be considered official Milan business, as the Federal Court confirmed in its appeal hearing.”

The indictment is for failing to report an alleged irregularity to the authorities. It has also been confirmed that Reggina's case will be heard on August 13 and Arezzo's on the following day.

Reggina face match-fixing trial

2006-08-08T22:03:00.000+01:00

Reggina have become the fifth club ordered to stand trial over allegations of sporting fraud. The Italian Football Federation's (FIGC) prosecutor Stefano Palazzi has taken the step after consulting a report compiled by chief investigator Francesco Saverio Borelli and his team.

The move comes after reports of telephone conversations of Reggina president, Lillo Foti (pictured), were tapped. Palazzi will argue that the southern minnows violated article one and article six of the game’s sporting rules during the 2004-05 campaign. It’s understood that the Reggina probe centred around six games which were against Brescia [lost 1-3], Cagliari [won 3-2], Palermo [won 1-0], Udinese [won 2-0], Sampdoria [lost 3-2] and Palermo [drew 1-1]. Foti, along with former refereeing designator Paolo Bergamo and referees Pieri and Paolo Dondarini were also charged.

Foti insists there are no valid reasons which led to indict his club for sporting fraud. He denied any wrongdoing and maintains that his club always followed the rules. “The indictment is exaggerated, I think there is malice in it. I’m not basing my thoughts on suspicions, but on the facts and the truth. The results of the 2004-05 season are there for everybody to see, the indictment is a severe punishment. I feel the prosecutor’s decision was malicious towards my club and myself. Reggina must now present themselves in front of the Federal Appeal Court on August 13 and will face a trial we do not deserve. The charge also relates to matches that Reggina lost and that doesn’t make much sense. We have always followed the rules and behaved correctly, but no respect has been shown towards us.”

Reggina will be informed of their proposed sentence next week, if found guilty, Palazzi will reveal his punishment requests for the southern minnows who now risk demotion to Serie B.

Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio have already been punished for their part in the scandal. Juve were stripped of the Serie A title won for the past two seasons, demoted to Serie B and docked points for their role in the scandal. Fiorentina and Lazio were originally relegated, only to be reinstated to the top flight upon appeal, while Milan had points deducted.

View the document in full (Italian) >>>

Calciopoli appeals slammed

2006-08-08T21:57:00.000+01:00

The chief investigator in the match-fixing trial has criticised the discounts afforded to Juventus and the other clubs in appeal as “bad for football.”

Francesco Saverio Borrelli (pictured) ran the investigation into the match-fixing scandal and was pleased with the original verdicts, which saw Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina relegated to Serie B and Milan ordered to begin the 2006-07 campaign with a 15-point penalty. However, on appeal the CAF left only the Bianconeri in the Second Division with a 17-point handicap rather than the original 30, while the other penalties were also slashed.

“We had noticed there was a strange climate around football with tacit agreements that made compromises likely,” revealed Borrelli in newspaper ‘La Repubblica’. “You could certainly say this was a ‘generous’ verdict and a decision of this kind is not good for football, let alone our international reputation. I think that to move forward we should’ve been harsher on these sides rather than reduce the sentences.”

The controversy arose after the CAF released its reasons for cutting the punishments, as President Piero Sandulli suggested the investigative team made a mistake in trying to penalise ‘guilt by association’ on a par with those instigating illegal manoeuvres.

“I think that Sandulli’s lecture was out of place and he could’ve avoided that comment. Nobody has ever said the sporting justice system includes guilt by association. We pointed out that it was wrong to talk of a Mafia-like organisation, but rather view it as a wide-ranging negative sensibility. Within the football world, people could count on this attitude to achieve illegal ends. It was a corrupt environment.”

Moggi ‘ruled Calcio with iron fist’

2006-08-08T21:45:00.000+01:00

The CAF has given its reasons for reducing the penalties in the match-fixing scandal, stating that Luciano Moggi ‘forced’ Lazio, Fiorentina and Milan to seek aid. The Federal Court of Appeal slashed the original punishment meted out in the inquest, returning Lazio and Fiorentina to Serie A following their demotion and cutting the points deductions given to Milan and Juventus.

“Moggi was responsible for serious episodes of sporting fraud, both over time – in particular the 2004-05 season – and his behaviour which was aimed at creating a structure that would alter the competition through conditioning of refereeing decisions,” explained President Pietro Santulli (pictured) in the paperwork released this evening. “As his illicit design was eventually successful, he damaged the public’s faith in the fairness of sporting competition. To metaphorically speaking survive in Serie A, it was necessary to bow down to Moggi's will.”

Juventus were the only club to remain in Serie B after the appeal to the CAF and Santulli revealed why the Turin giants were punished so much more than the other sides involved. “The behaviour of Moggi and Antonio Giraudo cannot be compared to the other directors (Fiorentina’s Andrea Della Valle and Sandro Mencucci, ndr), whose actions had nowhere near the same causal effect. The Juventus representatives had the full and concrete intention of falsifying the table by conditioning referees, whose decisions were influenced by Moggi and Giraudo.”

Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio had claimed that they were merely ‘reacting’ to the Moggi system in place, a theory that was in part accepted by the CAF.

In the 117-page report, it was also explained why Lazio’s demotion to Serie B was revoked, pointing out that “no referees were named in the inquiry or punished for their part in the three games that President Claudio Lotito spoke about with refereeing designator Paolo Bergamo. Therefore it is illogical to consider this a sporting fraud.”

Fiorentina have returned to Serie A, albeit with a 19-point penalty to kick off the 2006-07 campaign, because there was “no conclusive evidence” of direct responsibility for match-fixing, only indirect liability. The calls of complaint also came straight after a match against Messina in which the Viola felt themselves heavily penalised by the referee.

Milan were the least penalised in the Calciopoli trial due to the actions of refereeing liaison Leonardo Meani. “He may well be a low-ranking official in the club, but he did clearly overstep his boundaries in a bid to favour his side.”

“The Juventus directors were certainly highly poisonous in their systematic and organised stability. This means their position in this trial is incomparable to the others.”

Nonetheless, the Bianconeri’s original 30-point penalty in Serie B for the 2006-07 season was reduced to 17 on appeal, giving them a better chance of gaining promotion within the year. “It seems right to view the original penalty with the important and prestigious sporting history of this club, the fruits of which were also enjoyed by the national team,” continued the CAF’s report. “The resignation and removal of the directors responsible for the punishment should also be a factor in favour of the side.”

Juventus are not content with the verdict and have lodged an appeal to the CONI’s Court of Conciliation. Their lawyers will be heard on August 18, while Milan vice-President Adriano Galliani and Juve’s Antonio Giraudo’s hearings are on September 5. Moggi and former FIGC vice-President Innocenzo Mazzini are to discuss their positions on September 7.

View the full report (Italian) >>>

Milan allowed to play in Champions' League

2006-08-02T23:06:00.000+01:00

UEFA have confirmed that AC Milan have been allowed to take part in this season’s Champions League. European football’s governing body were considering expelling the club from the competition on ethical grounds after they were punished as part of the match-fixing scandal.

However, after an emergency meeting, UEFA have given the Italian giants the green light to enter the competition. Milan were relegated to third in last season’s final Serie A standings and handed an eight-point penalty for the 2006-07 campaign. The Rossoneri will now play Crvena Zvezda, previously Red Star Belgrade, in the third qualifying round next week.

Nevertheless, UEFA have stated that they were 'deeply concerned' with the Italian scandal and admitted that they were forced to include them in the competition. "The UEFA Emergency Panel, being competent to decide on this matter, came to the conclusion that it had no choice but to admit Milan for the UEFA club competitions 2006-07 for formal reasons because of an insufficient legal basis in the regulations which would allow not admitting Milan under the specific circumstances," it stated.

"The Emergency Panel made a clear statement to the club that this admission is far from being given with the utmost conviction.Milan takes advantage of the fact that UEFA lacks legal grounds to refuse the club's admission. In this respect, Milan is herewith informed that the necessary adaptations will be made to the regulations concerned. The UEFA Emergency Panel is deeply concerned that Milan has created the impression of being involved in the improper influencing of the regular course of matches in the Italian football championship. From the statement of Milan, the Panel concluded that the club has obviously not yet properly perceived the troubles it is in and the damage it already caused to European football. UEFA and the club's opponents will observe with the utmost attention the future attitude of Milan around UEFA club competition fixtures. UEFA will not hesitate to intervene severely, should Milan be involved in any activities aiming to arrange improperly the outcome of a match."

Serie A kick-off delayed

2006-08-02T01:03:00.000+01:00

The Lega Calcio (Italian Football League) have confirmed that the new Serie A season will now kick off on September 10. The fresh campaign was originally scheduled to start on August 27, but that date has been deemed as unrealistic given another summer of controversy in Italian football.

Due to the various appeals with regard to the match-fixing scandal and the threat of another tribunal hearing involving more clubs, the new season’s start date has been delayed by two weeks. Serie A will start on September 10 and come to a conclusion on May 27, 2007. The Serie B campaign will also begin on the same weekend, but ending on June 10.

Throughout the season there will be four midweek round of fixtures in the First Division and four Sunday breaks in the schedule as a result of international commitments and the Christmas/New Year break.

The Coppa Italia will kick-off on August 19, with the two legged Finals set for April 18 and May 9, 2007. The Italian Super Cup Final, which will officialy open the new season, between newly crowned Italian champions Inter Milan and Roma, last season’s Coppa Italia runners-up, will be played on Saturday August 26.

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 take up most of August.

On Sunday 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.

View the Lega Calcio document (Italian) >>>

Season to be delayed?

2006-07-31T18:34:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-28T22:04:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-26T22:47:00.000+01:00

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...

2006-07-26T05:25:00.001+01:00

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

2006-07-25T20:07:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-25T12:51:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-23T05:57:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-23T05:45:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-20T22:00:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-20T19:12:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-19T22:35:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-18T22:00:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-17T22:00:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-15T22:12:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-14T22:00:00.000+01:00

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?

2006-07-14T10:09:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-12T22:13:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-10T22:00:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-08T10:06:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-07T22:00:00.000+01:00

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.

Trio reject claims

2006-07-06T22:00:00.000+01:00

Lawyers representing AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio in Italy's football corruption trial say the clubs have no case to answer. The trio, along with Juventus, face relegation, fines and point deductions if found guilty of sporting fraud.

The prosecutor Stefano Palazzi wants Juventus to be stripped of the Serie A titles they won in the past two seasons and sent to the lowly third division with the other three clubs demoted to the second division. All teams would have points deducted at the start of next season.

Yesterday, Juventus' lawyer Cesare Zaccone said his clients could settle for relegation into the second division and points deduction as "an acceptable punishment."

The scandal broke in May with the publication of transcripts of telephone conversations between former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi and Italian Football Association officials, discussing refereeing appointments in the 2004-05 season. A 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 referees. It is due to deliver its judgement on Monday, the day after Italy play in the World Cup final.

"We at Lazio are innocent. We don't have anything to admit. Obviously Juventus's lawyers have decided it was better to do it like that. But we at Lazio do not have anything to hide," Lazio lawyer Gian Michele Gentile said.

Lazio president Claudio Lotito said he would go all the way to the civil courts to appeal against the verdict if his club was found guilty of sporting fraud.

Marco De Luca, a lawyer for Adriano Galliani, vice-president of Milan, conceded that his client should have denounced what he knew of irregularities, which emerged in telephone comments to Galliani by former club official Leonard Meani.

Intercepted telephone conversations revealed Meani complaining to the official in charge of assigning linesman to Serie A matches about a linesman he selected after Milan lost to Siena in April 2005. "There is not a single fact in the world that proves Galliani approved of Meani's conduct," De Luca said. Omission was not an offence, he continued, before insisting on the club's honesty as well as its glorious history. "AC Milan has brought this federation, of which you (the judges) are also a part, many, many trophies. We will be respectful of your decisions. But we are proud to be Milan. Respect for the rules is in Milan's DNA" he declared to the hearing.

Lawyers for Fiorentina deposited bundles of notes with the judges, saying they proved their clients should be cleared.

Giorgio Merlone, a lawyer for Pierluigi Pairetto, an Italian Football Federation official who ran a draw for allotting referees to matches, accused the prosecutor of going too far. "In its report, the investigator's office spoke of the 'mere suspicion' that the draw was fixed. The federal prosecutor has transformed this suspicion, as if by magic, into a certainty. But for a certainty you need some concrete proof," Merlone said.

The sports tribunal will not hand out penal sentences. A separate magistrates' investigation in Naples has yet to decide whether to press criminal charges against some of the accused.

Juve will accept Serie B

2006-07-05T22:00:00.000+01:00

The lawyers defending Juventus have told the trial that the best punishment for the club would be Serie B rather than a drop down to the third division. “Demotion to Serie B with docked points would be a congruous punishment,” Cesare Zaccone claimed in court this evening.

Yesterday prosecutor Stefano Palazzi requested the Bianconeri go down to “a Division lower than Serie B” with a six-point penalty for their part in the match-fixing allegations. He also asked for Lazio and Fiorentina to begin with a 15 point penalty in Serie B, where they’d be joined by Milan on minus three points.

Former Juve director general Luciano Moggi is at the centre of the scandal after his telephone conversations were wiretapped, allegedly attempting to influence the referees assigned to their matches. “You can’t talk about direct responsibility for Juventus, as Moggi has never been a legal representative of the club,” added the lawyer today. “I also believe that Antonio Giraudo should only be considered indirectly responsible for any wrong-doing. The only issue here is the seriousness of the facts, which in my view should be largely re-xxxxuated.”

The Turin giants are attempting to distance themselves from Moggi, who resigned from his post a day after Juve secured their 29th Italian title, and rescue the situation as best they can. “The sanction requested by the prosecutor would dxxxxue the squad by 80 per cent. As the trial continues, 79 per cent of the club’s income is in danger. Juventus do not have a single benefactor behind the side willing to invest money.”

Much has been made in the run-up to the trial of the so-called ‘Moggi system’, but lawyer Zaccone attempted to spread the blame. “There were at least five different systems going on in football. One was created in Genoa, another in Florence, then in Rome which included leading figures in the Federation and another system working in Milan. All of them were opposed and conflicting. This is all that’s needed to explain why the idea of a Mafia-like total system involving everyone is impossible.”

Lazio President Claudio Lotito and Fiorentina patron Diego Della Valle also spoke at the trial today. Both insisted they were “victims of the system” rather than orchestrators and that they had never requested favours from referees.

Della Valle, the founder of luxury leather group Tods, said he had voiced concerns about hostile referees to former FIGC official Paolo Bergamo, who oversaw the draw to select referees in the 2004-05 season. That was when the club narrowly avoided relegation. "When we said we were worried about hostile referees, Bergamo told us that mistakes happened, and that he could put us into the part of the draw that got the best referees to avoid further mistakes," Della Valle told the tribunal. But he denied Fiorentina had done anything wrong. "We thought that maybe the referees' errors were down to psychological pressures. We didn't know there was a system," he said. "Fiorentina were victims of this system."

Former FIGC President Franco Carraro spoke out earlier in the session. “The accusation of sporting fraud levelled at me is humiliating and vile. I acted in good faith and have never cheated anyone. If the facts are confirmed, then something very serious happened in the 2004-05 season.”

The tribunal has said it aims to deliver its verdicts on July 10, the day after Italy take part in the World Cup final in Berlin. Any appeals must be cleared up by July 27, a deadline set by European soccer's ruling body for the list of teams for next season's lucrative Champions' League and UEFA Cup competitions.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi on Wednesday said the scandal had helped the national team to bond. "Certainly, initially, all the confusion that came out two or three months ago created a desire and a determination to respond and show that Italian football is effective, real and strong on a technical and moral level," he said. "It helped to create a tight group."But the outlook for the players after the World Cup remains uncertain. Fabio Capello, who quit as Juventus manager this week, was named as manager of Real Madrid on Wednesday. Italian media speculated about possible transfer moves for players from the clubs involved in the scandal, if they are relegated.

Prosecutor asks for all 4 clubs to be thrown out

2006-07-04T22:00:00.000+01:00

The prosecutor Stefano Palazzi (pictured) has today called for Juventus to be relegated into Serie C1, as well as urging the sporting tribunal to condemn Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio to Serie B. Palazzi made his formal requests at around midday where he pushed for all the clubs charged with sporting fraud to face stiff penalties.

As well as seeing Juve thrown into “a Division lower than Serie B”, Palazzi wants them to be stripped of their last two Serie A titles and start the new campaign with a six-point penalty. He’s also asked for Fiorentina and Lazio to begin with a 15 point penalty in next season’s Second Division, where they could be joined by a Milan side who start on minus three points.

There are also now 25, and not 26, individuals on trial for sporting fraud – FIGC member Cosimo Maria Ferri was cleared of any wrongdoing last night – and Palazzi is pushing for lengthy bans and fines.Former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi, the man at the centre of the scandal, could face a five-year ban from the game plus multiple fines of 5,000 Euros. Palazzi has asked for the same length of punishment to be handed out to ex-Juve chief executive Antonio Giraudo, Lazio President Claudio Lotito, Milan official Leonardo Meani, plus Diego and Andrea Della Valle of Fiorentina.Other notable individuals who may face similar consequences include former FIGC chief Franco Carraro, ex-refereeing designators Paolo Bergamo and Pierluigi Pairetto, and current referee Massimo De Santis. Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani is facing the threat of a two-year stop, while promising referee Gianluca Paparesta could be sidelined for a year.All involved maintain their innocence.

Tribunal president Cesare Ruperto called a premature end to Tuesday's proceedings at around 4pm local time, because not all the defendants wishing to speak in defence of themselves were present, including the man at the eye of the storm, Moggi. Juve's former general manager has not appeared at the trial since it started, raising doubts over whether he will turn up at all.

The trial began last Thursday but was adjourned until Monday even if nobody was questioned on its restart as the day was dominated by objections from defence lawyers.
On Wednesday the remaining defendants will speak, followed by prosecutor Palazzi, who will respond to their arguments. Lawyers representing the accused will then launch their defences.The FIGC are hoping for a verdict, which may not be as stiff as Palazzi is pushing for, to be delivered by July 10.