what a fucking joke


The Italian clubs implicated in a match-fixing scandal have had their punishments slashed on appeal.
Lazio and Fiorentina have been reinstated to Serie A - but with points deductions increased from 12 to 19 for Fiorentina and seven to 11 for Lazio.

Juventus' hopes of overturning demotion to Serie B were dashed, but instead of starting on minus 30 points, they have only had 17 points taken away.

AC Milan stay in Serie A with their penalty cut from 15 points to eight.

Milan have also been allowed to play in the Champions League qualifying rounds this season - having originally been barred from Europe.

But the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) sports court upheld the decision to strip Juventus of their last two Serie A titles.

The court also confirmed the five-year bans for former Juventus executives Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo - the figures at the centre of the scandal.

In addition, Juventus and Fiorentina were told they must play their first three home games of the 2006-07 campaigns at neutral grounds. Lazio were given a two-match stadium ban and Milan one match.

The original punishments were handed out to the disgraced clubs by a Rome tribunal just five days after Italy won the World Cup.

All four clubs implicated denied the accusations.

Their appeals were held by the FIGC sports court in a Rome hotel on Tuesday, and fans of local club Lazio gathered in their hundreds outside to cheer the decision to promote the team back to Serie A.

Juventus are now the only one of the four implicated clubs to be demoetd to Serie B, and the Turin club immediately said on Tuesday evening they would now appeal again - possibly through a civil court if necessary.

Juve's club lawyer Cesare Zaccone told Italian news agency Ansa the appeal court's decision was "incredible."

The scandal was uncovered as a result of a criminal investigation which was launched before the start of the 2004-05 season by the Naples prosecutors' office.

Telephone conversations between former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi and an official in charge of refereeing appointments were tapped.

Uefa had extended its own deadline for national associations to submit the teams which will play European football this season - to allow Italy to sort out this saga.

Now Italy's representatives in the Champions League will be Inter Milan, Roma, Chievo and AC Milan. The Uefa Cup teams will be Palermo, Livorno and Parma.

The big losers from the appeal decisions are Lecce and Treviso.

The bottom two clubs in Serie A last season, they were reinstated to Serie A along with 18th-placed Messina after the original verdict.

But now Fiorentina and Lazio are back in Serie A, Lecce and Treviso will be relegated after all. Messina stay up, taking Juventus' place in the top-flight, although they will now fear the Turin club's next appeal.


AT A GLANCE

Juventus: Were relegated with 30 point penalty; now still in Serie B but with 17-point deduction. Given three match stadium ban

AC Milan: Were allowed to stay in Serie A but with 15-point penalty; now still in Serie A but with eight point deduction and put back into Champions League, but with one-match stadium ban

Lazio: Were relegated with seven-point penalty; now put back in Serie A with 11-point deduction, but given two-match stadium ban

Fiorentina: Were relegated with 12-point penalty; now put back in Serie A with 19-point deduction, but with three-match stadium ban