Three Italian Soccer Teams Returned to Serie A after Match-Fixing Appeal

As winners of the 2006 World Cup, one might think Italian soccer fans were on a summer-long high. A recent match-fixing scandal has put a damper on things, however. Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina and AC Milan were all busted by an Italian Football Federation [FIGC] sports court. An appeal yesterday resulted in lighter punishments for all around than they initally faced, when they merited something more severe.

This scandal strikes at the very heart of competitive sports. In America, people can complain that Barry Bonds and his alleged steroid use has undermined the home run record, but even when Mr. Bonds was at his beefy best, the outcome of the games wasn’t pre-determined. What happened in Italian soccer has put the final scores in doubt, championships under a cloud of suspicion, and has made Italian soccer as seemingly competitive as World Wrestling Entertainment.

The details have been in the Italian press for months, and boiled down to their essence, Juventus' general manager Luciano Moggi and team chairman Antonio Giraudo pressured referees to favor their team. Transcripts of wire-taps also had Mr. Moggi speaking to Pierluiggi Pairetto, the vice-chairman of UEFA's referees' commission, to get a pro-Juve ref. In all of this, the other clubs eventually found themselves implicated.

Each team got a break yesterday. Initially, Juventus was relegated with 30-point penalty (that is Juve would start at -30 points in the Serie B table). After the appeal, the team has only a 17-point penalty and has to play its first three home games on a neutral field. AC Milan was to stay in Serie A with a 15-point penalty and a Champions’ League ban, but that has been cut to 8, and the team gets to play in the Champions League. Lazio was to have a 7-point penalty and play in Serie B but will be in Serie A with an 11-point deduction, and play two home games on a neutral field. Fiorentina was supposed to play in Serie B with a 12-point penalty, but it will be in Serie A with 19-point deduction and a three-match neutral field requirement.

With 38 games and 114 points available, the penalties merely guarantee that the teams won’t be allowed to win the title next year. Juventus is likely to get back into Serie A within three years by winning Serie B or coming close. Its 17-point penalty may hurt in 2006-07, but 2007-08 will be the year of Juve in the lower flight, even if many of its top players abandon ship.

FIGC forgot that when the penalty is points deducted, the people who suffer are the fans. However, those who messed things up were the suits in the boardrooms. Far better would be to fine the bejesus out of the clubs. A 17-point deduction won’t deter anyone, but €10 million off the top line sure would.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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