Italian Tribunal verdicts relegations

The verdict given Friday evening on the Italian match-fixing scandal has left three of the four top clubs relegated to Serie B and all four clubs will start next season with league points deductions.

Juventus – Italy's most successful club will play next season in Serie B, starting with a 30-point deduction, what almost ensure they will spend at least two seasons in the second tier.

Juventus have also been stripped of their Serie A titles for the 2004/5 and 2005/6 seasons and banned from participating in the Champions League competition.

Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, who was at the centre of the scandal, was banned from the game for five years.

"Everything was done in a regular way. No match was fixed, no referee was pressured. Juventus, the other teams and above all the fans have been defrauded by this sentence," Moggi was quoted as saying by the Italian news agency ANSA.

Juventus had eight players involved in this World Cup final and few, if any, will be expected to stay with the club. Many of the top players may seek new clubs either in Italy or elsewhere in Europe.

Juventus’ new president Giovanni Cobolli Gilli has vowed to try to keep as many of their star names as possible at the club, and insists none will leave at cut-down prices. "I hope that some of our important players will stay," he said.

Coach Fabio Capello, who guided Juventus to the two titles they have been stripped of, quit as coach last week and joined Spanish club Real Madrid.

Juventus said in a statement that they would be appealing what they called an "unbelievable" decision.

Fiorentina are relegated with a 12-point deduction and miss out on their Champions League spot. The club announced their intentions to appeal against the punishment.

Lazio will also relegate to Serie B with a 7-point penalty and have been stripped of their UEFA Cup place.

AC Milan escaped relegation but will begin their next campaign in Serie A with a 15-point deduction. 44 leagues points were also deducted from Milan’s last season score, meaning Milan have lost their place for the next season Champions League.

However, a statement on Milan’s official website suggests they are looking to play in the UEFA Cup at Empoli's expense. According to Milan, Empoli failed to request the UEFA license, and therefore they cannot participate in a European competition.

Angry Juventus fans gathered in front of the club’s headquarters in Turin while Fiorentina fans protested in Florence and Lazio supporters made their feelings known outside the Rome hotel where the verdict was announced.

Should the verdicts be upheld after appeal then Inter Milan and AS Roma will go straight into the Champions League group stage next season with Palermo and Chievo Verona in the qualifying round.

No decision has been made on which teams will fill the gaps in Serie A although relegated teams Lecce, Messina and Treviso will expect to be returned to the top flight.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.