2006 Serie A scandal
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Italian football scandal (Italian: Calciopoli or Moggiopoli , sometimes referred to as Calciocaos) involved Italy
's top professional football leagues, Serie A
and Serie B
. The scandal was uncovered in May 2006
by Italian police, implicating league champions Juventus
, and other major teams including Inter, Milan
, Fiorentina
, Lazio
, and Reggina
when a number of telephone interceptions showed a thick network of relations between team managers and referee organisations. Juventus were the champions of Serie A at the time. The teams have been accused of rigging games by selecting favourable referees.
prosecutors on the Italian football agency GEA World. Transcripts of recorded telephone conversations published in Italian newspapers suggested that during the 2004-05 season
, Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi
had conversations with several officials of Italian football to influence referee appointment. The name Calciopoli is a pun on Tangentopoli
, [rough English translation:Bribesville], a corruption-based attitude starting in the early 1980s and ending with the Mani Pulite
investigation in the early '90s.
Another very common name for Calciopoli is Moggiopoli after the name of Luciano Moggi. Also Calciogate, a pun on Watergate
, is used. "Calcio" means football in Italian.
(his statement read that Juventus should be sent "lower than Serie B," without a specific division stated) and for Fiorentina and Lazio to at least Serie B
. He also asked for points penalties to be imposed (six for Juventus, three for Milan, and 15 for both Fiorentina and Lazio). The prosecutor also called for Juventus to be stripped of its 2005 and 2006 titles.
In the case against Reggina
on 13 August, the prosecutor called for Reggina to be demoted to Serie B with a 15-point penalty. On 17 August, Reggina's punishment was handed down: a 15-point penalty, but no relegation from Serie A. Furthermore, the club was fined the equivalent of £68,000, whilst the club president Pasquale "Lillo" Foti was fined £20,000 and banned from the game for two-and-a-half years.
The sentence was long disputed because of the largely different severity of punishment between Juventus and other involved teams. According to the court the conduct of team managers, considered in all the cases not a real match-fixing but a mere violation of sport loyalty principles, seemed to have, in case of Juventus, the effect to influence match results; whilst in the case of other teams, the same effect was not considered so much evident. Juventus representatives considered this assumption totally arbitrary and never proved.
's case, the last three teams.
The clubs sent down to Serie B were initially slated to have a difficult road back to the top flight. They would have had to finish in the top two of Serie B to be assured of promotion, but at the same time had to avoid finishing in the bottom four to keep from being relegated to Serie C1. Juventus, for example, was initially docked 30 points—the equivalent of having ten wins nullified. This made it very likely that they would not return to Serie A until 2008 at the earliest. The point penalty, however, was reduced to nine points, giving Juve a fighting chance at promotion. They won the Serie B championship in 2006-07 season, having clinched a spot in Serie A by May 2007.
The three clubs who remained in Serie A
also were slated to have a difficult 2006-2007 season, especially Fiorentina
, who were docked 15 points. With this large deduction, it was thought likely that Fiorentina would fail to finish high enough in Serie A to achieve a place in European competitions for the 2007-08 season, and there was an outside chance that it would finish in the bottom three and be relegated to Serie B. Fiorentina, however, finished the 2006-07 season
in sixth place, giving them a place in the 2007-08 UEFA Cup.
The relegation of Juventus also prompted a mass exodus of many important players such as Fabio Cannavaro
, Lilian Thuram
, and Zlatan Ibrahimović
. Some 30 other players who participated at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
were also affected and many opted to move to the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga
, and other European leagues.
, Lecce
, and Treviso
would have remained in Serie A, despite occupying the bottom three places in the 2005-06 season. After the appeals, only Messina remained in Serie A. Teams promoted from Serie B (Atalanta
, Catania
, and Torino
) were unaffected and promoted to Serie A as normal.
Based on their final league positions, Juventus and Milan would have earned a direct entry into the UEFA Champions League
, Internazionale and Fiorentina would have entered the third qualifying round of the Champions League, and Roma
, Lazio, and Chievo
would have been eligible for the UEFA Cup
. The list of Italian participants in next season's competitions was due to be given to UEFA
by 5 June. On 6 June 2006, the FIGC officially withdrew from the 2006 Intertoto Cup, costing Palermo
a place in the third round of the competition, citing the fact that the 2005–06 Serie A standings could not be confirmed by the 5 June deadline.
UEFA gave FIGC a July 25, 2006 deadline to confirm the standings or face sanctions in the two larger European competitions (then extended to July 26). After the appeals, Inter, Roma, Chievo and Milan occupied Italy's four Champions League places for 2006–07. Inter and Roma received a direct entry into the Champions League, while Chievo and Milan started at the third qualifying round. Milan's entry was confirmed by UEFA shortly after the appeals process. This would be a major key point as Milan went on to win the competition. Palermo
, Livorno
and Parma
took the UEFA Cup
first round slots originally going to Roma, Lazio, and Chievo.
On 26 July, FIGC declared Internazionale
as the Italian Champion for the 2005–06 season.
Juventus originally announced that they planned to appeal the punishment to the Italian civil courts, an action that would have brought further punishment to the clubs and the FIGC by FIFA
. FIFA has historically taken a dim view to government involvement in football administration. Earlier in 2006, FIFA briefly suspended the Hellenic Football Federation due to draft Greek legislation that would have allowed for government supervision of football. FIFA announced that it had the option to suspend the FIGC, thus barring all Italian clubs from international play, if Juventus went to court. The hearing was scheduled for 1 September. Juventus, however, dropped its appeal before the Lazio Regional Administrative Court (TAR in Italian) on 31 August, the day before it was to be heard. Juve officials cited the "willingness shown by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) to review its case during (CONI's) arbitration."
On 26 October 2006, the second appeal resulted in Milan continuing to be deducted 8 points, while Lazio's penalty was reduced to 3 points, Juventus' reduced to 9 points and Fiorentina's reduced to 15 points.
was to be Italy's referee representative in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, but was barred by the Italian Football Federation after coming under investigation. Italian referee Roberto Rosetti
remained untainted by the scandal, and he was one of the 21 2006 FIFA World Cup officials
.
The eruption of the scandal has also drawn attention to many potential conflicts of interest
within Italian football. Adriano Galliani
, the vice president and CEO of A.C. Milan, also serves as the president of Serie A
.
In addition to allegations of corruption and sports fraud by owners, managers, players, referees, and league officials, "the host of Italy's most popular football show, Aldo Biscardi, has resigned amid allegations that he collaborated with Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi to boost the club's image on television".
In all, magistrates in Naples
formally investigated 41 people and looked into 19 Serie A matches from the 2004–05 season and 14 Serie A matches from the 2005–06 season. Prosecutors in Turin examined Juventus chairman Antonio Giraudo over transfers, suspected falsified accounts, and tax evasion. Prosecutors in Parma
still are investigating national team goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon
, Enzo Maresca
, Antonio Chimenti
and Mark Iuliano
(retired) for suspected gambling on Serie A matches.
After the first penalties were handed out, more teams are being looked at for possible links to the scandal. Charges were laid against Reggina
and a 15-point penalty handed down. Messina
, Lecce
and Siena
are also being investigated as prosecutors continue to analyse transcripts of telephone calls.
resigned from the presidency of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the body responsible for selecting Italy's FIFA World Cup
national team, on 8 May. Juventus' entire board of directors resigned on 11 May, Moggi resigned shortly after Juventus won the 2006 Serie A championship on 14 May. On the Borsa Italiana
, Italy's stock market, Juventus shares had lost about half their 9 May value as of 19 May.
who were the main beneficiary from the 2006 Serie A scandal; they were awarded as champions as the outcome although they only finished 3rd and they have also brought in top players; Patrick Vieira
(now retired) and Zlatan Ibrahimović
(now at Milan) from Juventus since the club's relegation.
(Italy's biggest fixed network operator company) was arrested for having organised a trade of interceptions to public personalities' private calls. Internazionale
was involved in the process from the beginning when Carlo Buora, Chief Operating Officer of Telecom Italia and vice-president of Inter, being the boss of Tavaroli, was accused of being involved. During questioning, Tavaroli admitted that the president of Inter (Massimo Moratti) was one of the customers of this trade, having requested interceptions of many football personalities among referees, footballers and officers.
Former Inter striker Christian Vieri has suggested the Calciopoli scandal was sparked by Nerazzurri president Massimo Moratti. Vieri is currently suing Inter and telecommunications company Telecom Italia for illegal wire tapping.
Firenzeviola.it has reported that the wire tapping plan between Moratti and Telecom Italia was to eliminate teams in Serie A so that Inter could pave the way for success. It claims Inter players were made to sign a document to cover up any existence of the plan to take down other clubs. The allegation is that Vieri's phone was tapped up to ensure he never spoke of Inter's Calciopoli plans.
In press interviews, Vieri went so far as wondering why not all the relevant calls that he received from team managers went out during the investigation claiming that other teams, including Inter, should have been punished too.
The Italian Football Federation (now under the lead of Luca Pancalli) started an enquiry into these allegations. It is unlikely that Inter will be sanctioned since Inter's alleged conduct dates back to 2002 and in Italy
, under the Sporting Justice Code of FIGC, the statute of limitations runs out after two seasons.
In October 2007, A.S. Roma
was fined €40,000 for administrative offences related to the sale of young players but acquitted the false accounting related to the possible wrong entry day of the gain from selling Nakata. Lazio acquitted.
In December 2007, 7 Serie A clubs (some clubs by-then as Serie B) were fined for false accounting by inflating the prices of players they bought and sold, in order to pass financial tests in 2003-04, 2004-05 season. and 2005-06 season. In June 2010 Palermo
president and several staff of Ternana
were also fined and banned from football.
The following punishments were given to individuals:
AC Milan
Internazionale
Sampdoria
Genoa
Reggina
Udinese
Chievo
Palermo
Ternana
disclosed some new details about the Calciopoli affair. Naples prosecutors were able to find out a series of telephone calls, through foreign SIM cards
between Moggi, Bergamo, Pairetto and several referees. Since the conversations were through foreign SIM cards, the Italian police could not tap them: they could only try to match together phone numbers, numbers called and places. The SIM cards had been purchased in a store in Chiasso
(Switzerland
). Some SIM cards were Swiss and registered to the store owner's family, the others came from an anonymous person in Liechtenstein
. The prosecutors also discovered the use of a Slovenia
n SIM card. In this investigation they involved Moggi, Pairetto, Bergamo, Fabiani (Messina
sporting director), the referees De Santis, Racalbuto, Paparesta, Pieri, Cassarà, Dattilo, Bertini, Gabriele and the assistant Ambrosino. According to this investigation, Paparesta also used the Swiss SIM card for personal use, and this helped the prosecutors to discover this secret communication channel. Apparently, Moggi had five foreign SIM cards, two of which had been used to communicate with Bergamo and Pairetto, whereas the others had been used to communicate with the referees and Fabiani.
Moreover, another wiretapping was recently unveiled by the Italian daily La Stampa
. Although containing nothing truly compromising, in the recording Moggi and Marcello Lippi
(former coach of Juventus and coach of the Italian national team at the time) clearly insult Internazionale's president (Massimo Moratti
) and trainer (Roberto Mancini
). Lippi states that Mancini deserves a lesson, and Moggi answers that Mancini will have such a lesson.
On 26 April 2007 La Repubblica's web site published about two hundred audio files of the wiretappings, some published one year before in the written form and some never published. This allows readers to perceive tones and forms of the conversations as well.
Milan
, originally ejected from the 2006-07 UEFA Champions League
due to the scandal, went on to win the competition on 23 May 2007.
On 17 June 2007 on the Italian show Qui Studio A Voi Stadio
, a popular football show broadcast by the local TV Telelombardia
based in Milan
, Bergamo admitted that Moggi
actually gave two Swiss SIM cards to Pairetto, and Pairetto gave one of those SIM cards to him. Bergamo stated that, on suspicion of being tapped, he used that SIM card only to communicate with Pairetto and that, after the exhaustion of the credit, he did not use the SIM card anymore.
In June 2008, Juventus
fined again for €300,000 in 3 installments. Messina
fined for €60,000.
During the Calciopoli still in progress trial in Naples, the legal team of Luciano Moggi released a number of wiretapping showing that AC Milan and Inter might have been involved too in the Serie A scandal during 2004 and 2005. Such wiretappings were involving AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani, Inter owner Massimo Moratti, then-Inter chairman Giacinto Facchetti
and former referee designators Paolo Bergamo and Pierluigi Pairetto.
In July 2011 Inter
leaders are alleged to have committed sporting fraud during Calciopoli by Italian Football Federation, that believes Inter are responsible for having committed sporting fraud during the 2005-06 season which subsequently led to the football scandal in Italy. On the base of what has emerged from the current Calciopoli 2 trial at the Tribunal of Naples where evidence shows former Inter directors had contact with referees and a number of other high-profile Italian football leaders between 2004 and 2006. FIGC Chief investigator claims "Inter violated the article relative to sporting fraud and is directly responsible for having secured an advantage in the league standings by conditioning the regular function of the referee sector."
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's top professional football leagues, Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
and Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
. The scandal was uncovered in May 2006
Serie A 2005-06
In the 2005–06 season, Serie A, the major professional football league in Italian, was contested for the second year in a row by 20 teams. The league commenced on August 28, 2005 and finished on May 14, 2006...
by Italian police, implicating league champions Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
, and other major teams including Inter, Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, and Reggina
Reggina Calcio
Reggina Calcio are an Italian association football club, the main club of the city of Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in the Italian Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo...
when a number of telephone interceptions showed a thick network of relations between team managers and referee organisations. Juventus were the champions of Serie A at the time. The teams have been accused of rigging games by selecting favourable referees.
Origins
The scandal first came to light as a consequence of investigations of NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
prosecutors on the Italian football agency GEA World. Transcripts of recorded telephone conversations published in Italian newspapers suggested that during the 2004-05 season
Serie A 2004-05
In the 2004–05 season, the Serie A, the highest professional football league in Italy, was composed of 20 teams for the first time in several years....
, Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi
Luciano Moggi
Luciano Moggi is an Italian football managing director. He was the general director of Juventus F.C. from 1994 until May 2006, years that anointed him as one of the most successful football managing director except the last two club seasons that were involved in Calciopoli...
had conversations with several officials of Italian football to influence referee appointment. The name Calciopoli is a pun on Tangentopoli
Tangentopoli
Tangentopoli is a term which was coined to describe pervasive corruption in the Italian political system exposed in the 1992-6 Mani Pulite investigations, as well as the resulting scandal, which led to the collapse of the hitherto dominant Christian Democracy party and its allies.-Popular distrust...
, [rough English translation:Bribesville], a corruption-based attitude starting in the early 1980s and ending with the Mani Pulite
Mani pulite
Mani pulite was a nationwide Italian judicial investigation into political corruption held in the 1990s. Mani pulite led to the demise of the so-called First Republic, resulting in the disappearance of many parties. Some politicians and industry leaders committed suicide after their crimes were...
investigation in the early '90s.
Another very common name for Calciopoli is Moggiopoli after the name of Luciano Moggi. Also Calciogate, a pun on Watergate
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
, is used. "Calcio" means football in Italian.
Club punishments
On 4 July 2006, the Italian Football Federation's prosecutor, Stefano Palazzi, called for all four clubs at the centre of the match-fixing scandal to be thrown out of Serie A. Palazzi called for Juventus to drop to at least Serie C1Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
(his statement read that Juventus should be sent "lower than Serie B," without a specific division stated) and for Fiorentina and Lazio to at least Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
. He also asked for points penalties to be imposed (six for Juventus, three for Milan, and 15 for both Fiorentina and Lazio). The prosecutor also called for Juventus to be stripped of its 2005 and 2006 titles.
In the case against Reggina
Reggina Calcio
Reggina Calcio are an Italian association football club, the main club of the city of Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in the Italian Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo...
on 13 August, the prosecutor called for Reggina to be demoted to Serie B with a 15-point penalty. On 17 August, Reggina's punishment was handed down: a 15-point penalty, but no relegation from Serie A. Furthermore, the club was fined the equivalent of £68,000, whilst the club president Pasquale "Lillo" Foti was fined £20,000 and banned from the game for two-and-a-half years.
| Team | Relegation | Points deductions (2006-07 season) |
Other punishments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original punishment | Appeal result | Final punishment | Original punishment | Appeal result | Final punishment | Original punishment | Final punishment | |
| Milan A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others... |
Relegated to Serie B Serie B Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the... |
None | None | Deducted 15 points | Deducted 8 points | Deducted 8 points | • Deducted 44 points 2005/06 season • Out of 2006-07 UEFA Champions League |
• Deducted 30 points 2005/06 season • One home game behind closed doors |
| Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A... |
Relegated to Serie B Serie B Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the... |
None | None | Deducted 12 points (Serie B) |
Deducted 19 points (Serie A) |
Deducted 15 points (Serie A) |
• Out of 2006-07 UEFA Champions League | • Out of 2006-07 UEFA Champions League • Two home games behind closed doors |
| Juventus Juventus F.C. Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont... |
Relegated to Serie C1 Serie C1 Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1.... |
Relegated to Serie B Serie B Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the... |
Relegated to Serie B Serie B Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the... |
Deducted 30 points | Deducted 17 points | Deducted 9 points | • £31,000,000 (equivalent) fine • Club president fined £200,000 (equivalent) |
• Stripped of 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles • Out of 2006-07 UEFA Champions League • Three home games behind closed doors |
| Lazio S.S. Lazio Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football... |
Relegated to Serie B Serie B Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the... |
None | None | Deducted 7 points (Serie B) | Deducted 11 points (Serie A) | Deducted 3 points (Serie A) | • Out of 2006-07 UEFA Cup | • Out of 2006-07 UEFA Cup • Two home games behind closed doors |
| Reggina Reggina Calcio Reggina Calcio are an Italian association football club, the main club of the city of Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in the Italian Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo... |
(No original punishment) | None | None | Deducted 15 points | (No appeal result) | Deducted 11 points | (No original punishment) | • £68,000 (equivalent) fine • Club president Pasquale Foti Pasquale Foti Pasquale Foti is an entrepreneur and current president of Reggina Calcio.- Reggina Calcio :In 1986 Foti became managing director of the newly re-formed and renamed Reggina Calcio. In 1991 he became president. Under his presidency, Reggina won their first promotion into Italy's top football club... fined £20,000 (equivalent) and banned from football for 2½ years |
The sentence was long disputed because of the largely different severity of punishment between Juventus and other involved teams. According to the court the conduct of team managers, considered in all the cases not a real match-fixing but a mere violation of sport loyalty principles, seemed to have, in case of Juventus, the effect to influence match results; whilst in the case of other teams, the same effect was not considered so much evident. Juventus representatives considered this assumption totally arbitrary and never proved.
Consequences of the punishments
In Italy, like most national football leagues, clubs earn three points for a win and one point for a draw. The club with the most points at the end of the season is the league champion, while the last few teams (the number depending on the league rules) are relegated to a lower division; in Serie ASerie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
's case, the last three teams.
The clubs sent down to Serie B were initially slated to have a difficult road back to the top flight. They would have had to finish in the top two of Serie B to be assured of promotion, but at the same time had to avoid finishing in the bottom four to keep from being relegated to Serie C1. Juventus, for example, was initially docked 30 points—the equivalent of having ten wins nullified. This made it very likely that they would not return to Serie A until 2008 at the earliest. The point penalty, however, was reduced to nine points, giving Juve a fighting chance at promotion. They won the Serie B championship in 2006-07 season, having clinched a spot in Serie A by May 2007.
The three clubs who remained in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
also were slated to have a difficult 2006-2007 season, especially Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, who were docked 15 points. With this large deduction, it was thought likely that Fiorentina would fail to finish high enough in Serie A to achieve a place in European competitions for the 2007-08 season, and there was an outside chance that it would finish in the bottom three and be relegated to Serie B. Fiorentina, however, finished the 2006-07 season
Serie A 2006-07
The Serie A 2006–2007 season began September 10, 2006. It was scheduled to begin on August 26 and 27, but was then postponed due to the Serie A scandal of 2006. It is the 104th Italian championship ever held, the first without the presence of Juventus, and the 75th Serie A league, the first...
in sixth place, giving them a place in the 2007-08 UEFA Cup.
The relegation of Juventus also prompted a mass exodus of many important players such as Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro, Ufficiale OMRI is a former Italian footballer considered one of the greatest defenders of all time and was given the name "Muro di Berlino" which means The Berlin wall by Italian supporters. He spent the majority of his career in Italy...
, Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram is a retired professional football defender and is the most capped player in the history of the France national team, and one of the twenty most capped players of all time.He played at the top flight in France, Italy and Spain for over 15 seasons, including ten in the Serie A with both...
, and Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....
. Some 30 other players who participated at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
were also affected and many opted to move to the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, and other European leagues.
Effect on Serie A
Initially, with Juventus, Fiorentina, and Lazio all relegated, MessinaF.C. Messina Peloro
Associazione Calcio Rinascita Messina is an Italian football club based in Messina, Sicily. It currently plays in Serie D.- Brief history :The origins of the team go back to 1900 when Messina F.C was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its history in the lower Italian football leagues...
, Lecce
U.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
, and Treviso
Treviso F.B.C. 1993
Football Club Treviso is an Italian football club based in Treviso. The club was formed in 1909, and refounded in 1993 and in 2009. The club currently plays in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.Treviso's official colours are light blue and white.-History:...
would have remained in Serie A, despite occupying the bottom three places in the 2005-06 season. After the appeals, only Messina remained in Serie A. Teams promoted from Serie B (Atalanta
Atalanta B.C.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
, Catania
Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
, and Torino
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
) were unaffected and promoted to Serie A as normal.
Based on their final league positions, Juventus and Milan would have earned a direct entry into the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, Internazionale and Fiorentina would have entered the third qualifying round of the Champions League, and Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
, Lazio, and Chievo
A.C. ChievoVerona
Associazione Calcio Chievo Verona is a professional Italian football club named after and based in Chievo, a suburb of 2,800 inhabitants in Verona, Veneto, and owned by Paluani, a cake company and the inspiration for their original name, Paluani Chievo...
would have been eligible for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. The list of Italian participants in next season's competitions was due to be given to UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
by 5 June. On 6 June 2006, the FIGC officially withdrew from the 2006 Intertoto Cup, costing Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
a place in the third round of the competition, citing the fact that the 2005–06 Serie A standings could not be confirmed by the 5 June deadline.
UEFA gave FIGC a July 25, 2006 deadline to confirm the standings or face sanctions in the two larger European competitions (then extended to July 26). After the appeals, Inter, Roma, Chievo and Milan occupied Italy's four Champions League places for 2006–07. Inter and Roma received a direct entry into the Champions League, while Chievo and Milan started at the third qualifying round. Milan's entry was confirmed by UEFA shortly after the appeals process. This would be a major key point as Milan went on to win the competition. Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
, Livorno
A.S. Livorno Calcio
Associazione Sportiva Livorno Calcio is an Italian football club based in Livorno, Tuscany. The club was formed in 1915 and currently plays in Italian Serie B. The team's colors are dark red or maroon...
and Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
took the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
first round slots originally going to Roma, Lazio, and Chievo.
On 26 July, FIGC declared Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
as the Italian Champion for the 2005–06 season.
Juventus originally announced that they planned to appeal the punishment to the Italian civil courts, an action that would have brought further punishment to the clubs and the FIGC by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
. FIFA has historically taken a dim view to government involvement in football administration. Earlier in 2006, FIFA briefly suspended the Hellenic Football Federation due to draft Greek legislation that would have allowed for government supervision of football. FIFA announced that it had the option to suspend the FIGC, thus barring all Italian clubs from international play, if Juventus went to court. The hearing was scheduled for 1 September. Juventus, however, dropped its appeal before the Lazio Regional Administrative Court (TAR in Italian) on 31 August, the day before it was to be heard. Juve officials cited the "willingness shown by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) to review its case during (CONI's) arbitration."
On 26 October 2006, the second appeal resulted in Milan continuing to be deducted 8 points, while Lazio's penalty was reduced to 3 points, Juventus' reduced to 9 points and Fiorentina's reduced to 15 points.
Other allegations
Massimo De SantisMassimo De Santis
Massimo De Santis is an Italian football referee, who was banned until 2011 for match-fixing in the 2006 Serie A scandal. Before the allegations, De Santis was well respected and officiated many high profile Italian Serie A and international games...
was to be Italy's referee representative in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, but was barred by the Italian Football Federation after coming under investigation. Italian referee Roberto Rosetti
Roberto Rosetti
Roberto Rosetti is a former Italian football referee. He is fluent in Italian, English and French. He started refereeing in 1983, and took charge of his first match in the Italian Serie A in 1996. He received his FIFA Badge in 2002...
remained untainted by the scandal, and he was one of the 21 2006 FIFA World Cup officials
2006 FIFA World Cup officials
Match officials for the 2006 FIFA World Cup were nominated by the six confederations to FIFA, who, after a series of tests in Frankfurt/Neu-Isenburg in March 2006, selected 23 referees and a support and development group of a further 5, from a shortlist of 44.Kyros Vassaras of Greece and Manuel...
.
The eruption of the scandal has also drawn attention to many potential conflicts of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
within Italian football. Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani is an Italian entrepreneur who has been serving as vice-president and C.E.O. of Italian football club Associazione Calcio Milan since 1986. During his tenure as CEO, Milan have won five European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and eight Serie A titles among other achievements and...
, the vice president and CEO of A.C. Milan, also serves as the president of Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
.
In addition to allegations of corruption and sports fraud by owners, managers, players, referees, and league officials, "the host of Italy's most popular football show, Aldo Biscardi, has resigned amid allegations that he collaborated with Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi to boost the club's image on television".
In all, magistrates in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
formally investigated 41 people and looked into 19 Serie A matches from the 2004–05 season and 14 Serie A matches from the 2005–06 season. Prosecutors in Turin examined Juventus chairman Antonio Giraudo over transfers, suspected falsified accounts, and tax evasion. Prosecutors in Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
still are investigating national team goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history...
, Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca is an Italian footballer, who currently plays for Málaga CF in Spanish La Liga.-Youth career:Maresca started playing youth football at A.C. Milan, before joining Cagliari...
, Antonio Chimenti
Antonio Chimenti
Antonio Chimenti is a retired Italian football goalkeeper.-S.S. Sambenedettese Calcio:Chimenti began his career in the youth academy of S.S. Sambenedettese Calcio. In 1988, he was promoted to the first team. After two more seasons spent in Sambenedettese in Serie C1 and then Serie C2, he was...
and Mark Iuliano
Mark Iuliano
Mark Iuliano is a former Italian football defender, who spent the bulk of his career with Italian powerhouse, Juventus FC, in the Italian Serie A.-Salernitana Calcio 1919:...
(retired) for suspected gambling on Serie A matches.
After the first penalties were handed out, more teams are being looked at for possible links to the scandal. Charges were laid against Reggina
Reggina Calcio
Reggina Calcio are an Italian association football club, the main club of the city of Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in the Italian Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo...
and a 15-point penalty handed down. Messina
F.C. Messina Peloro
Associazione Calcio Rinascita Messina is an Italian football club based in Messina, Sicily. It currently plays in Serie D.- Brief history :The origins of the team go back to 1900 when Messina F.C was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its history in the lower Italian football leagues...
, Lecce
U.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
and Siena
A.C. Siena
Associazione Calcio Siena is an Italian football club based in Siena.The club currently plays in Serie A, having gained promotion from Serie B at the end of the 2010-2011 season....
are also being investigated as prosecutors continue to analyse transcripts of telephone calls.
Resignations and appointments
Franco CarraroFranco Carraro
Franco Carraro is an Italian sport manager and a former member of Italian Socialist Party in the 1980s and 1990s.-Football:Carraro was born in Padua....
resigned from the presidency of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the body responsible for selecting Italy's FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
national team, on 8 May. Juventus' entire board of directors resigned on 11 May, Moggi resigned shortly after Juventus won the 2006 Serie A championship on 14 May. On the Borsa Italiana
Borsa Italiana
The Borsa Italiana S.p.A., based in Milan, is Italy's main stock exchange. It was privatised in 1997 and is a part of the London Stock Exchange Group plc since 2007. In 2005, the companies listed on the Borsa were worth US$890 billion...
, Italy's stock market, Juventus shares had lost about half their 9 May value as of 19 May.
Sentences
The following punishments were given to individuals :- Luciano MoggiLuciano MoggiLuciano Moggi is an Italian football managing director. He was the general director of Juventus F.C. from 1994 until May 2006, years that anointed him as one of the most successful football managing director except the last two club seasons that were involved in Calciopoli...
: life ban from football and a recommendation to the FIGC president that he be banned for life from membership of the FIGC at any level. - Antonio Giraudo: Fined €20,000, five year ban from football, three years jail, and a recommendation to the FIGC president that he be banned for life from membership of the FIGC at any level.
- Paolo Dondarini: Two years jail.
- Tullio LaneseTullio LaneseTullio Lanese is a former football referee from Italy. He is mostly known for supervising three matches in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. He also refereed the European Cup final in 1991....
: Two years jail and 2½ year ban from football. - Innocenzo Mazzini: Five year ban from football.
- Massimo De SantisMassimo De SantisMassimo De Santis is an Italian football referee, who was banned until 2011 for match-fixing in the 2006 Serie A scandal. Before the allegations, De Santis was well respected and officiated many high profile Italian Serie A and international games...
: Four year ban from football. - Diego Della ValleDiego Della ValleDiego Della Valle is the President and CEO of the Italian leather goods company, Tod's.-Biography:Diego Della Valle is the older son of Dorino Della Valle and grandson of Filippo Della Valle...
: 3 year 9 month ban from football. - Pierluigi PairettoPierluigi PairettoPierluigi Pairetto is an Italian former football referee. Among the many prestigious games he officiated were the Euro 96 final between Germany and the Czech Republic at Wembley, and the classic USA 94 second-round clash between Romania and Argentina in Pasadena.He held the position of Italian...
: 3½ year ban from football. - Andrea Della Valle: Three year ban from football.
- Pasquale FotiPasquale FotiPasquale Foti is an entrepreneur and current president of Reggina Calcio.- Reggina Calcio :In 1986 Foti became managing director of the newly re-formed and renamed Reggina Calcio. In 1991 he became president. Under his presidency, Reggina won their first promotion into Italy's top football club...
: 2½ year ban from football and fined €30,000. - Claudio LotitoClaudio LotitoClaudio Lotito is an Italian entrepreneur. He is the owner and president of the Serie A football club S.S. Lazio since 2004....
: 2½ year ban from football. - Leonardo Meani: 2½ year ban from football.
- Fabrizio Babini: 12 month ban from football.
- Gennaro Mazzei: 12 month ban from football.
- Adriano GallianiAdriano GallianiAdriano Galliani is an Italian entrepreneur who has been serving as vice-president and C.E.O. of Italian football club Associazione Calcio Milan since 1986. During his tenure as CEO, Milan have won five European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and eight Serie A titles among other achievements and...
: Five month ban from football. - Gianluca PaparestaGianluca PaparestaGianluca Paparesta was an Italian football referee. He was implicated in the 2006 Calciopoli Scandal and has not refereed since. Many in Italy still consider him to be the best referee in Italy....
: Five month ban from football. - Claudio PuglisiClaudio PuglisiClaudio Puglisi is an Italian former football referee and linesman. He was implicated in the 2006 Serie A scandal for his contacts with Leonardo Meani before an April 2005 match with Chievo Verona.-References:...
: Three month ban from football. - Franco CarraroFranco CarraroFranco Carraro is an Italian sport manager and a former member of Italian Socialist Party in the 1980s and 1990s.-Football:Carraro was born in Padua....
: Fined €80,000. - Pietro Ingargiola: Given a warning.
Rossi Telecom Italia takeover controversy
Since the trial, some further controversy has emerged. This is due to perceived bias in favour of InternazionaleF.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
who were the main beneficiary from the 2006 Serie A scandal; they were awarded as champions as the outcome although they only finished 3rd and they have also brought in top players; Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
(now retired) and Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....
(now at Milan) from Juventus since the club's relegation.
Telecom Italia interception scandal and Inter's role
In September 2006 Italian football was shaken again by a new investigation. The head of the security department of Telecom ItaliaTelecom Italia
Telecom Italia is the largest Italian telecommunications company, also active in the media and manufacturing industries. Now a private concern listed on the Borsa Italiana, it was founded in 1994 by the merger of several state-owned telecommunications companies, the most important of which was...
(Italy's biggest fixed network operator company) was arrested for having organised a trade of interceptions to public personalities' private calls. Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
was involved in the process from the beginning when Carlo Buora, Chief Operating Officer of Telecom Italia and vice-president of Inter, being the boss of Tavaroli, was accused of being involved. During questioning, Tavaroli admitted that the president of Inter (Massimo Moratti) was one of the customers of this trade, having requested interceptions of many football personalities among referees, footballers and officers.
Former Inter striker Christian Vieri has suggested the Calciopoli scandal was sparked by Nerazzurri president Massimo Moratti. Vieri is currently suing Inter and telecommunications company Telecom Italia for illegal wire tapping.
Firenzeviola.it has reported that the wire tapping plan between Moratti and Telecom Italia was to eliminate teams in Serie A so that Inter could pave the way for success. It claims Inter players were made to sign a document to cover up any existence of the plan to take down other clubs. The allegation is that Vieri's phone was tapped up to ensure he never spoke of Inter's Calciopoli plans.
In press interviews, Vieri went so far as wondering why not all the relevant calls that he received from team managers went out during the investigation claiming that other teams, including Inter, should have been punished too.
The Italian Football Federation (now under the lead of Luca Pancalli) started an enquiry into these allegations. It is unlikely that Inter will be sanctioned since Inter's alleged conduct dates back to 2002 and in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, under the Sporting Justice Code of FIGC, the statute of limitations runs out after two seasons.
False account scandal
The false account in Italy known as Doping Amministrativo, which means directors of the football clubs use cross-trading (or player exchange) with inflated prices in order to enhance the financial gains to avoid re-capitalization. But it is because the company's income actually not increased (the figure did increase), it look like using enhancement drug.In October 2007, A.S. Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
was fined €40,000 for administrative offences related to the sale of young players but acquitted the false accounting related to the possible wrong entry day of the gain from selling Nakata. Lazio acquitted.
In December 2007, 7 Serie A clubs (some clubs by-then as Serie B) were fined for false accounting by inflating the prices of players they bought and sold, in order to pass financial tests in 2003-04, 2004-05 season. and 2005-06 season. In June 2010 Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
president and several staff of Ternana
Ternana Calcio
Ternana Calcio is an Italian football club based in the city of Terni, Umbria.The team's colours are red and green.The club was founded in 1925 and refounded in 1993. In its history, Ternana have twice played in Serie A...
were also fined and banned from football.
The following punishments were given to individuals:
AC Milan
- The Company: €90,000 fine.
- Adriano GallianiAdriano GallianiAdriano Galliani is an Italian entrepreneur who has been serving as vice-president and C.E.O. of Italian football club Associazione Calcio Milan since 1986. During his tenure as CEO, Milan have won five European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and eight Serie A titles among other achievements and...
(Vice-President): €60,000 fine.
Internazionale
- The Company: €90,000 fine.
- Massimo MorattiMassimo MorattiMassimo Moratti is an Italian oil tycoon. He is the owner and President of Italian football team Football Club Internazionale Milano, and Chief Executive Officer of Saras S.p.A.-Life and career:...
(Owner) €10,000 fine. - Gabriele OrialiGabriele OrialiGabriele Oriali is a former football player from Italy, who mainly played defensive midfield but could also play as defender.-Playing career:...
(technical director) €10,000 fine. - Mauro Gambaro (ex-CEO) €20,000 fine.
- Rinaldo Ghelfi (ex-CEO and by-then Vice-President) €20,000 fine.
Sampdoria
- The Company: €36,000 fine.
- Giuseppe MarottaGiuseppe MarottaGiuseppe "Beppe" Marotta is an Italian football executive currently serving as Director General and Sports Department CEO of Italian football club Juventus.- Early career :...
: €20,000 fine. - Riccardo GarroneRiccardo Garrone (born 1936)Riccardo Garrone is an Italian enterpreneur. He is the owner Serie A association football club U.C. Sampdoria, and honorary chairman and former CEO of Italian oil firm ERG, which is owned by his family....
: €18,000 fine.
Genoa
- The Company: €400,000 fine.
- Giovanni Blondet: €15,000 fine.
- Enrico PreziosiEnrico PreziosiEnrico Preziosi is an Italian entrepreneur. He runs numbers of business, which most famously the president of football club Genoa C.F.C..-Toys:...
: Banned for 4 months and €15,000 fine.
Reggina
- The Company: € 400,000 fine.
- Pasquale FotiPasquale FotiPasquale Foti is an entrepreneur and current president of Reggina Calcio.- Reggina Calcio :In 1986 Foti became managing director of the newly re-formed and renamed Reggina Calcio. In 1991 he became president. Under his presidency, Reggina won their first promotion into Italy's top football club...
: Banned for 1 month and €20,000 fine.
Udinese
- The Company: € 400,000 fine.
- Franco SoldatiFranco SoldatiFranco Soldati is an Italian Commercial director who has been serving as Executive President of Italian football club Udinese Calcio since 1999....
(President): Banned for 3 months and €30,000 fine. - Pierpaolo Marino (by-then Vice-President): €15,000 fine.
Chievo
- The Company: € 50,000 fine.
- Luca Campedelli (owner): € 40,000 fine.
- Giovanni SartoriGiovanni Sartori (footballer)Giovanni Sartori is an Italian professional football official and a former player who currently works as a director of sports for A.C. ChievoVerona....
(sports director): € 15,000 fine.
Palermo
- Maurizio ZampariniMaurizio ZampariniMaurizio Zamparini is an Italian businessman and the current owner and chairman of Serie A club U.S. Città di Palermo....
(President): Banned for 6 months - Rino Foschi (Sports director): Banned for 3 months
Ternana
- The Company: €20,000 fine.
- Luigi Agarini (President): Banned for 7 months
- Luca Ferramosca (President): Banned for 6 months
- Giovanni Lombardo (CEO): Banned for 3 months
- Stefano Dominicis(CEO): Banned for 6 months
Latest developments
In April 2007 the Italian daily La RepubblicaLa Repubblica
la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
disclosed some new details about the Calciopoli affair. Naples prosecutors were able to find out a series of telephone calls, through foreign SIM cards
Subscriber Identity Module
A subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module is an integrated circuit that securely stores the International Mobile Subscriber Identity and the related key used to identify and authenticate subscriber on mobile telephony devices .A SIM is held on a removable SIM card, which...
between Moggi, Bergamo, Pairetto and several referees. Since the conversations were through foreign SIM cards, the Italian police could not tap them: they could only try to match together phone numbers, numbers called and places. The SIM cards had been purchased in a store in Chiasso
Chiasso
Chiasso is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.As the southernmost of Switzerland's municipalities, Chiasso is located at the border with Italy, in front of Ponte Chiasso...
(Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
). Some SIM cards were Swiss and registered to the store owner's family, the others came from an anonymous person in Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
. The prosecutors also discovered the use of a Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n SIM card. In this investigation they involved Moggi, Pairetto, Bergamo, Fabiani (Messina
F.C. Messina Peloro
Associazione Calcio Rinascita Messina is an Italian football club based in Messina, Sicily. It currently plays in Serie D.- Brief history :The origins of the team go back to 1900 when Messina F.C was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its history in the lower Italian football leagues...
sporting director), the referees De Santis, Racalbuto, Paparesta, Pieri, Cassarà, Dattilo, Bertini, Gabriele and the assistant Ambrosino. According to this investigation, Paparesta also used the Swiss SIM card for personal use, and this helped the prosecutors to discover this secret communication channel. Apparently, Moggi had five foreign SIM cards, two of which had been used to communicate with Bergamo and Pairetto, whereas the others had been used to communicate with the referees and Fabiani.
Moreover, another wiretapping was recently unveiled by the Italian daily La Stampa
La Stampa
La Stampa is one of the best-known, most influential and most widely sold Italian daily newspapers. Published in Turin, it is distributed in Italy and other European nations. The current owner is the Fiat Group.-History:...
. Although containing nothing truly compromising, in the recording Moggi and Marcello Lippi
Marcello Lippi
Marcello Lippi, Commendatore OMRI is a former Italian World Cup-winning football manager and former player. He served as Italian national team head coach from 16 July 2004 to 12 July 2006 and led Italy to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was re-appointed as Italian head coach in the summer of 2008...
(former coach of Juventus and coach of the Italian national team at the time) clearly insult Internazionale's president (Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti is an Italian oil tycoon. He is the owner and President of Italian football team Football Club Internazionale Milano, and Chief Executive Officer of Saras S.p.A.-Life and career:...
) and trainer (Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa...
). Lippi states that Mancini deserves a lesson, and Moggi answers that Mancini will have such a lesson.
On 26 April 2007 La Repubblica's web site published about two hundred audio files of the wiretappings, some published one year before in the written form and some never published. This allows readers to perceive tones and forms of the conversations as well.
Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, originally ejected from the 2006-07 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League 2006-07
The 2006–07 UEFA Champions League was the 15th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded from the European Cup, and the 52nd season overall. The final was contested by Milan and Liverpool on 23 May 2007...
due to the scandal, went on to win the competition on 23 May 2007.
On 17 June 2007 on the Italian show Qui Studio A Voi Stadio
Qui studio a voi stadio
Qui studio a voi stadio is a Sports talk and debate television program produced by Telelombardia and aired on various affiliated local television channels in Italy, entirely devoted to Italian Soccer, in particular the Serie A....
, a popular football show broadcast by the local TV Telelombardia
Telelombardia
Telelombardia is an Milan-based Italian local television network that offer entertainment programs, news and weather bulletins, sports and political debates, variety shows and paid programming....
based in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Bergamo admitted that Moggi
Luciano Moggi
Luciano Moggi is an Italian football managing director. He was the general director of Juventus F.C. from 1994 until May 2006, years that anointed him as one of the most successful football managing director except the last two club seasons that were involved in Calciopoli...
actually gave two Swiss SIM cards to Pairetto, and Pairetto gave one of those SIM cards to him. Bergamo stated that, on suspicion of being tapped, he used that SIM card only to communicate with Pairetto and that, after the exhaustion of the credit, he did not use the SIM card anymore.
In June 2008, Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
fined again for €300,000 in 3 installments. Messina
F.C. Messina Peloro
Associazione Calcio Rinascita Messina is an Italian football club based in Messina, Sicily. It currently plays in Serie D.- Brief history :The origins of the team go back to 1900 when Messina F.C was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its history in the lower Italian football leagues...
fined for €60,000.
During the Calciopoli still in progress trial in Naples, the legal team of Luciano Moggi released a number of wiretapping showing that AC Milan and Inter might have been involved too in the Serie A scandal during 2004 and 2005. Such wiretappings were involving AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani, Inter owner Massimo Moratti, then-Inter chairman Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti was an Italian football player. From January 2004 until his death, he was President of Internazionale, the club for which he played for his whole career during the 1960s and 1970s, playing 634 official games and scoring 75 goals. He played for the Internazionale team remembered...
and former referee designators Paolo Bergamo and Pierluigi Pairetto.
In July 2011 Inter
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
leaders are alleged to have committed sporting fraud during Calciopoli by Italian Football Federation, that believes Inter are responsible for having committed sporting fraud during the 2005-06 season which subsequently led to the football scandal in Italy. On the base of what has emerged from the current Calciopoli 2 trial at the Tribunal of Naples where evidence shows former Inter directors had contact with referees and a number of other high-profile Italian football leaders between 2004 and 2006. FIGC Chief investigator claims "Inter violated the article relative to sporting fraud and is directly responsible for having secured an advantage in the league standings by conditioning the regular function of the referee sector."
See also
- Serie A 2005-06Serie A 2005-06In the 2005–06 season, Serie A, the major professional football league in Italian, was contested for the second year in a row by 20 teams. The league commenced on August 28, 2005 and finished on May 14, 2006...
- Serie A 2006-07Serie A 2006-07The Serie A 2006–2007 season began September 10, 2006. It was scheduled to begin on August 26 and 27, but was then postponed due to the Serie A scandal of 2006. It is the 104th Italian championship ever held, the first without the presence of Juventus, and the 75th Serie A league, the first...
- Brazilian football match-fixing scandalBrazilian football match-fixing scandalMáfia do Apito , sometimes referred to as the Escândalo do Apito , was the name given by the Brazilian press to the football match-fixing scandal reported by Veja magazine on September 23, 2005....
- 2005 Bundesliga scandal2005 Bundesliga scandalIn early 2005, German football was overshadowed by the discovery of a €2 million match fixing scandal centered on second division referee Robert Hoyzer, who confessed to fixing and betting on matches in the 2nd Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal , and the third division Regionalliga...
- Gianluca PessottoGianluca PessottoGianluca Pessotto is a former football player who spent the majority of his career with Juventus F.C., where he currently serves as team manager...
- Juventus ex-footballer and current team manager. - 2011 Turkish sports corruption scandal2011 Turkish sports corruption scandalThe 2011 Turkish Sports corruption scandal is an ongoing investigation about match fixing, incentive premium, bribery, establishing a criminal organization, organized crime, extortion, threat and intimidation in Turkey's top two association football divisions, the Süper Lig and First League, and...
External links
- Report from the Guardian
- Former Juventus manager quizzed about involvement
- BBC Sport article
- BBC Sport article on the history of similar scandals
- The Sunday Business PostThe Sunday Business PostThe Sunday Business Post is an Irish national Sunday newspaper published by Post Publications Limited. Post Publications is owned by Thomas Crosbie Holdings. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Ireland, the average weekly circulation was 57,783 for the period January to June 2009. The...
, 16 July 2006, "The Italian Job" - Italian Website analyzing the scandal
- Juventus shareholders website with documents and analysis on the scandal (ITA)
- Analysis on the controversies surrounding the scandal
- Football chaos: 3 years for Giraudo "Criminal association"