© EuroFootball.com
Primary punishments for participants of the Italian football corruption scandal were softened after appeals - the appellate court announced late on Tuesday evening that they will be able to play in the Champions League, and Rome will be able to continue playing in Serie A, while Turin will remain in the Serie B league with a slightly smaller points deficit.
With no change to the verdict, Juventus will have to start the season in Serie B with a minus 17 point deficit, Milan, Lazio, and Fiorentina will have to play in the top Serie A league with deficits of 8, 11, and 19 points, respectively. Recall that on July 14, the sports court had expelled Juventus, Lazio, and Fiorentina clubs to Serie B and imposed deficits of 30, 7, and 12 points, while Milan was allowed to stay in Serie A with a 15-point deficit.
It was also confirmed that Juventus lost the last two season's champion titles, must pay 120,000 euros, and play three home matches in a neutral stadium, while Milan, Lazio, and Fiorentina lost 30 points from the last season and received a 100,000 euro fine each, but the stadium disqualifications will be different - Milan will have one, Lazio two, and Fiorentina three home matches to be played in a stadium other than their own.
With Juventus falling to Serie B, the team Messina will remain in the league, while the 30 points from Milan pushed them to third place in the previous season's competition, allowing them to participate in the third qualifying round of the Champions League along with Verona's Chievo, who finished fourth. Inter Milan and Roma will start their matches from the group stage, while Palermo, Livorno, and Parma should secure places in the UEFA Cup. Although the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) had to submit the final list of European tournament participants to their UEFA colleagues today, the final deadline was extended to Wednesday after a special request.
New penalties were also imposed on individuals involved in the scandal: former Juventus club managers Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo, as well as former federation vice president Innocenzo Mazzini, were disqualified for five years, Fiorentina's owners Andrea and Diego Della Valle respectively for 3 years and 9 months and 3 years, and club director Sandro Mencucci for 2.5 years. Lazio's president Claudio Lotito received a 2.5-year disqualification, Milan's vice president Adriano Galliani for 9 months, club official Leonardo Meani for 2.5 years.
Judge Massimo de Santis received a 4-year disqualification, referee Pierluigi Pairetto 3.5 years, assistant referees Claudio Puglisi and Fabrizio Babini 3 months, referee association president Tullio Lanese will remain disqualified for 2.5 years, vice-commissioner Gennaro Mazzei for half a year, federation president Franco Carraro paid an 80,000 euro fine, and referee Paolo Dondarini was cleared.
While Italy's representatives in European competitions will no longer change, the penalties may not be final, as both Juventus, Fiorentina, and Lazio executives expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict and promised to continue appealing to civil courts. Meanwhile, Milan's camp celebrated the return to the right to play in the Champions League, but has not yet discussed potential further appeals.
"We simply cannot accept this sentence. Knowing what happened, this verdict cannot be considered balanced. I believe it is serious and entirely unfair, as the discrepancy in the verdict separates Juventus from the other clubs. For this reason, we have decided to continue filing appeals in all possible forms. I can assure everyone that we will not stop until justice is served for the sake of our unparalleled fans, shareholders, club, and the Italian championship," said Turin club president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli.
Fiorentina owner Diego Della Valle also mentioned the possibility of going to civil court: "This is just the first step. For now, we have done nothing, and we will go through all possible paths to clear our name. We will go to all appropriate courts to remove any shadow of guilt and regain what they took from us."
A similar sentiment was expressed by Lazio president Claudio Lotito: "I am completely dissatisfied. Lazio did not violate any rules. The fact that we will not participate in the UEFA Cup does not align with the truth. As a club that is listed on the stock exchange, it is essential to defend itself in all possible places. I can add that if the verdict is unjust, there is always the possibility to demand compensation."
Something resembling relief was expressed only by Milan, whose lawyer Leandro Cantamessa said: "For a club that requested complete acquittal, this cannot be considered a victory. However, considering the earlier penalty imposed by the tribunal, which was like being shot, this is much better. (Will we appeal? -ed. note) I don't know, we'll see. We made it to the Champions League, otherwise, I wouldn't be moderately satisfied."
