Italian Match-Fixing Decision

[charliepanayi]

Thought I'd stick up a new thread for this, but feel free to merge it with another one if needs be:

The punishments it seems are as follows:

JUVENTUS
Relegated to Serie B
30 points deducted from start of season
Kicked out of Champions League
Stripped of titles in 2005 and 2006 (unsure if these titles will be given to Inter Milan, or whether they'll just be declared null and void).

MILAN
15 points deducted from start of season (remain in Serie A)
Kicked out of Champions League

FIORENTINA:
Relegated to Serie B
12 points deducted from start of season
Kicked out of Champions League and UEFA Cup

LAZIO:
Relegated to Serie B
7 points deducted from start of season
Kicked out of UEFA Cup

All this is subject to appeal - I think the punishments have varied as to the levels of how involved each club was allegedly involved in match-fixing.

Well Inter Milan might actually win a title next year now... (and being a Roma fan I'm not complaining either)

[Earl Of Slander]

Can anybody explain to me how, if all of these clubs were accused of the same thing, the punishments are so varied?

And it's a shame Milan didn't get relegated, it would have been great to see Manchester United take a swoop for some of their players.

[Brother]

They're all involved at different levels. Personally I think they've been quite lenient. I would have sent Juventus down to C, but then again I suppose the 30 point deduction deals with that. With no Champions League Football though for any, little chance of a title with the deductions and a tough season ahead you can bet that there'll be a lot of moves regardless. Cheating of any kind should be severely punished. Milan should be thankful.

[charliepanayi]

That would leave Italy with just one CL representative next season from last season's 1st-4th places (Inter Milan) if that's right - so it seems they'll fill their other three CL places with the teams that finished 5th, 7th and 8th (which were Roma, Chievo and Palermo, with the latter two put in the last qualifying round - Lazio finished 6th). Ditto for the UEFA Cup, just picking the next highest teams.

[chris17]

well i dont know that much to what each club has done to vary it but i think the punishments are fair. I knew that Juventus were more guilty than the others so they cant argue with that. Its good for the teams that are in the champions league now though, they are definalty benefitting from other clubs breaking the rules.

[Sensei Reno]

quite frankly i would like to see teams like this being relegated if they truly have dont match fixings then they should be. i also heard that shevchenco only went to chelsea because he knew AC milan were guilty of it so he wanted to go before he was recognised

[chris17]

shevchenko left for family reasons as far as im aware. I'm hoping thuogh now a few players will come to the premiership, such as del piero, cannivaro and even Toni. I dont think now any of the players from AC will leave. especially when they are still top flight.

[Earl Of Slander]

They've been kicked out of the Champions League. I think AC Milan will have to start releasing players.

[chris17]

why should they? top flight football still is a pay cheque and AC are one of the most financially stable clubs in the world. They dont have to sell players if they dont want to. They only let shevchenko go cause they know he was past his prime for the cost OR wanted to go that badly. what you basing that on?

[Earl Of Slander]

The reputation of AC Milan has been damaged and I'd be surprised if top flight players would want to be attributed to match fixing scandals.

[chris17]

players have publicly said they wouldnt leave them even if they went down, including Pirlo. Sure their reputation is damaged in a way but they are the lightest punished, that will count for something dont ya think? Juventus will be untouchable

[Earl Of Slander]

Juventus will be untouchable

What are you talking about?

[charliepanayi]

What are you talking about?

I'm guessing he means no-one will want to go near Juventus with the proverbial 10ft pole for the time being after this business, whereas the likes of Milan won't be quite (comparatively) so badly off (that's the only explanation of what he means that makes sense to me anyway).

[Earl Of Slander]

That makes a lot more sense, thanks charliepanayi. I think Milan will still be grouped under the same category as Juventus when all of this blows over. But Juventus isn't going to be the same squad. Having a 30 point deduction almost guarantees Serie C next season and nobody is going to hang around for that one.

[chris17]

thank you :)

I dont think they'll go down next season cause although yea a bulk of the squad will go but the core players will still hopefully push the club at least outside the relegation zone. Depends on who leaves cause no major players left by the start of the season and yea they could go down.

[Earl Of Slander]

All of the other teams have a 30 point head start. I think it'll be a miracle for them not to go down.

[chris17]

42 games in the season, juve would have to win at least 20 of them to stand a chance of staying up. Maybe 25. So yea its doable with the right players left but it depends on that.

[Earl Of Slander]

42 games in the season, juve would have to win at least 20 of them to stand a chance of staying up. Maybe 25. So yea its doable with the right players left but it depends on that.

Thank you Captain Obvious. The point is, they won't have those players.

[chris17]

thats why i said 'with the right players' and 'it depends on that'. notice how i never said 'yea they'll stay'? a few players might stay out of loyalty, most notibly the defence core so they could just concentrate on attack. Its only just announced so i dont know what will end up happening.

[Enemy Airship]

I have mixed feelings on this whole thing. While I think it's fair that the clubs were punished harshly for cheating, I do feel quite sad seeing some of the most established and successful clubs in the world dropping down divisions like this.

I really hope that there isn't a mass exodus of players. Seeing other leagues stock up on the world class players of these clubs would sort of...disrupt the balance as it were. I don't want to see a major force in football just disappear over one night :(

[Carlo]

I tell you what...the big clubs in England and Spain are certainly going to have field days with this. The English in particular are already taking aim at the star names from those clubs-Gigi Buffon is being tipped as an Arsenal target, while Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro are both reportedly on Chelsea's list. More details are available on the BBC Sport website.

[Dark Mandy]

If Buffon goes anywhere, it'll probably be to Inter.

[Carlo]

Ye Gods, let the fire sale begin!

NEWSFLASH:
Fabio Cannavario (central defender, Team Italy captain)-joins Real Madrid from Juventus
Emerson (central midfielder, former Team Brazil captain)-joins Real Madrid from Juventus
Lilian Thuram (central/right wing defender, newly retired from Team France)-joins Barcelona from Juventus
Gianluca Zambrotta (wing defender/wing midfielder, Team Italy)-joins Barcelona from Juventus

[charliepanayi]

The appeals lodged have succeded in a partial reduction of the punishments:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/5215178.stm

Slightly disappointing that they've eased up on the teams.

[Brother]

That's crazy. Why have the punishments been reduced? Why give them those punishments in the first place if they're just going to be slashed?

[Enemy Airship]

I'm extremely disappointed.

If they've categorically been found guilty of match fixing, they should be punished. Having the sentances reduced makes the whole thing a joke. I would think it's pretty hard on the clubs that were apparently being allowed to stay in Serie A after the big ones were going down in their place too.

[Brother]

In a world where you can get a ten point deduction for going into administration and an eighteen point ban for fielding an ineligible player, this is atrocious. The fact that Juventus are appealing to have the punishment reduced AGAIN and Fiorentina are trying to get their Champion's League place back through an appeal says it all. Absolutely disgusting.

[enfilade]

Italian football just gets further and further away from the rest of the footballing world. It's an abysmal ruling. I feel for the teams getting bounded about the leagues who having to do with it, as Malice said.