Italy in World Cup Finals Amid Italian Soccer Fraud

The Italian national soccer team will move on to the World Cup finals after a stunning defeat of Germany on Tuesday, and the team pulled off the win despite some Italian colleagues getting caught up in a major ethics scandal within Serie A, Italy’s top soccer league, The New York Times reports.

According to the Times, prosecutors want to demote Juventus, the reigning champion, from the country’s top league to the third tier and strip the team of two league titles. Two other top-four finishers of last season, AC Milan and Fiorentina, could be demoted to the second-tier league, as could Lazio for its alleged role in a match-fixing scandal.

Penalties proposed for the 26 individuals, including club officials, football federation staff members, referees and linesmen, who are accused of involvement include one-to five-year suspensions and fines of 5,000 Italian pounds, or almost US$6,400, for each act of fraud committed, according to the Times.

The article states that in addition to demotion from Serie A, all four teams risk point penalties that would further worsen their lot at the start of next season. If the prosecutors have their way, Juventus faces a six-point penalty at the start of next season in Serie C and the revocation of the Serie A championships it won in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Lazio and Fiorentina face 15-point penalties, and AC Milan could be penalized three points, all of which would take place in Serie B.

The Times reports a former general manager of Juventus, Luciano Moggi—considered by prosecutors to be the ringleader of the match-fixing—and the former chief executive, Antonio Giraudo, face five-year suspensions and fines. Adriano Galliani, the vice president of AC Milan and former soccer league president, faces a five-year suspension and fines, as do the owner and president of Fiorentina, Diego and Andrea Della Valle, and the president of Lazio, Claudio Lotito. A string of referees and league officials faces suspensions and penalties as well.

All the accused have denied wrongdoing.

Compiled by Paul Kerstein

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