© EuroFootball.com
Another club has been punished for its involvement in the Italian football corruption scandal - even though it avoided relegation to "Serie B", the team could start the season with a 15-point deficit.
The prosecutor of the Italian football federation Stefano Palazzi requested the sports tribunal to impose the same point deficit, but in a lower league. However, the "Reggina" club, which also received a fine of about 100 thousand euros, avoided the fate of "Juventus" - being relegated to "Serie B".
"Reggina" president Pasquale Foti may find it easier to recover from the actions of his club, but he himself was punished with a 2.5 year ban and a 30 thousand euro fine.
Also involved in the same scandal, based on phone calls during the 2004/05 season, is the "Arezzo" team competing in "Serie B", which could have ended up even lower, in "Serie C" with a minus three points, but the tribunal decided to impose only a nine-point deficit on the same league.
The tribunal acquitted the referees Paolo Dondarini and Tiziano Pieri, but the linesman Stefano Titomanlio and the supervisor Gennaro Mazzei who appointed them received three-year bans. Meanwhile, former "Milan" employee Leandro Meani was disqualified for three months, and the club itself received a 10 thousand euro fine.
All those punished have the opportunity to appeal and most likely will do so. Previously, after the appeals were examined, the "Fiorentina" and "Lazio" clubs regained their "Serie A" status, while "Milan" and "Juventus" received reduced point deficits in "Serie A" and "Serie B" respectively. In addition, seeking exoneration, they have already turned to civil courts, and these verdicts should be announced in the near future.
