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I have only heard this today:
| quote: | The prosecutor in the Italian match-fixing scandal has confirmed that they are looking for all four clubs involved - Juventus, Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina - to be relegated.
Stefano Palazzi said that he would look for Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina to be demoted to Serie B - whilst Juventus, who are the most severely implicated in the proceedings, should be sent to Serie C at least.
The situation is nothing new for either Milan and Lazio as, in 1980, they were both found guilty of match fixing and relegated, while Fiorentina are no strangers to lower league football having only recently returned to the top-flight following bankruptcy.
However, with Juventus - they have never been out of Italy's top-flight and to be demoted when currently champions of Serie A would be a huge blow to them as it would also likely cost them their place in the UEFA Champions League, as is also the case for Milan and Fiorentina.
Not making do with mere relegation, Palazzi also revealed that he would look for Lazio, Fiorentina and Milan to start with a deduction of 15 points - making immediate promotion very difficult - while he would also want Juventus to be penalised by six points.
Both Juventus and Milan were quick to comment and, obviously, they were not pleased.
"The requests of deductions for the different teams are absolutely not consistent," Juve lawyer Cesare Zaccone said.
"It's difficult for me not to see this as absurd," complained Milan president Silvio Berlusconi.
"Milan never had favours from referees. We have been victims of favours made to others club."
The case also implicates 25 officials - it was 26 but FIGC (Italian Football Federation) member Cosimo Maria Ferri was cleared on Monday.
On individuals, Palazzi stated that he wanted former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi - the man who the whole scandal centres around - to get a five-year suspension, while he would also want the same penalty imposed on another former Juve director Antonio Giraudo, Fiorentina owner Diego Della Valle and Lazio president Claudio Lotito.
Other high-profile bans could be imposed on Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani and also Andrea Della Valle of Fiorentina.
Palazzi is also looking for big sentences to be levied against Milan's Leonardo Meani, former FIGC president Franco Carraro and former refereeing designators Pierluigi Pairetto and Paolo Bergamo.
Italy's highest profile referee Massimo de Santis - who should have gone to the World Cup finals before being withdrawn, is facing a five-year ban for his role in the whole scandal, while fellow match official Gianluca Paparesta is facing a 12-month suspension.
The case continues at Rome's Olympic Stadium and a decision is expected by next week. |
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