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In May 2006, a massive match fixing scandal in the history of Italian Serie A football was uncovered by Italian police, implicating league champions Juventus, and powerhouses A.C. Milan, Fiorentina, and Lazio. Teams have been accused of rigging games by selecting favourable referees, and players have been accused of illegally gambling on football games. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... See also: 2006 in sports 8 July 2006 (Saturday) Rugby union: 2006 Tri Nations Series New Zealand defeat Australia 32–12 at Jade Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand. ... To suggest a relevant news story for the Main Page, refer to the criteria then add your suggestion at the candidates page. ... Match fixing or game fixing in organized sports occurs when a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result. ... Serie A is the top division of the Italian Football League, the highest football league in Italy. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Juventus Football Club (Latin for Youth, pronounced ) is one of Italys oldest and most renowned football clubs. ... Associazione Calcio Milan is an Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, they play in red-and-black stripes, giving them the nickname rossoneri (red-blacks). One of the most successful clubs in the world, they have won the prestigious European Cup 6 times (second only to Real Madrid), Intercontinental... ACF Fiorentina is an Italian football club based in Florence (Firenze), Tuscany. ... S.S. Lazio (Italian: Società Sportiva Lazio SpA) is an Italian football club based in Rome, Latium. ... A referee presides over a game of association football (soccer). ...

Origins

The scandal first came to light as a consequence of doping investigations at Juventus; prosecutors in Turin ordered wiretaps of Juve, based in that city. Transcripts of recorded telephone conversations were published in Italian newspapers; they suggested that during the 2004-05 season, Luciano Moggi, general manager of Juventus, had conversations with several people in Italian football that reveal illegal match fixing, gambling, and falsifying of financial accounts took place. Doping drugs on display at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland In sports, doping refers to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids, particularly those that are forbidden by the organizations that regulate competitions. ... Turin (Italian: ; Piedmontese: Turin) is a major industrial city in north-western Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the west bank of the Po River. ... Luciano Moggi (born July 10, 1937 in Monticiano) is an Italian football managing director. ...

Allegations

The investigation concerns the alleged match-fixing by several high-profile teams, including Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio. All four are under investigation by Italian Police, and thus far both Juve and Milan have had their team headquarters searched by authorities.

The four clubs currently under investigation accounted for a combined 13 players on Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup winning football team. Fabio Cannavaro lifts the World Cup trophy after Italy won the World Cup for a fourth time The 2006 FIFA World Cup was an international association football tournament held in Germany from June 9, 2006 to July 9, 2006. ...

Moggi's recorded conversations were with individuals including:

• Pierluigi Pairetto, vice chairman of the UEFA Referees Committee: Moggi allegedly pressured him into appointing match referees who would favour Juventus.
• Giuseppe Pisanu, Italian minister of the interior: Moggi allegedly wanted him not to postpone matches when Pope John Paul II was in ill health, in particular one match when Fiorentina would have had four players absent.
• Marcello Lippi, coach of the Italian national football team: Moggi allegedly encouraged him to select players represented by GEA World, a sports agency founded by Moggi's son Alessandro.

Italian national team and Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is also under investigation for illegally betting on football matches. UEFA logo The Union of European Football Associations, almost always referred to by the acronym UEFA (pronounced (you-AY-fuh) or (oo-Ay-fuh)), is the administrative and controlling body for European football. ... Giuseppe Pisanu (born January 22, 1937 in Ittiri, Sassari) is the current Italian Minister of the Interior. ... Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef Wojtyła [1] (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005) reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from October 16, 1978 until his death, more than 26 years, making his the second-longest pontificate in modern times after Pius IXs... Marcello Lippi. ... First International Italy 6 - 2 France (Milan, Italy; 15 May 1910) Largest win Italy 9 - 0 USA (Brentford, England; 2 August 1948) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 Italy (Budapest, Hungary; 6 April 1924) World Cup Appearances 15 (First in 1934) Best result Winners, 1934, 1938, 1982 European Championship Appearances 6... First international Italy 6 - 2 France (Milan, Italy; 15 May 1910) Largest win Italy 9 - 0 USA (Brentford, England; 2 August 1948) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 Italy (Budapest, Hungary; 6 April 1924) World Cup Appearances 16 (First in 1934) Best result Winners, 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006 European Championship Appearances... Juve can refer to: an abbreviation for Juventus F.C. a surname. ... A goalkeeper leaves his feet to parry a shot on goal In many team sports, a goalkeeper (termed goaltender, or goalie in some sports) is a designated player that is charged with directly preventing the opposite team from scoring by defending the goal. ... Gianluigi Gigi Buffon (born January 28, 1978 in Carrara, Italy) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. ...

Massimo De Santis 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.^[1] Italian referee Roberto Rosetti remained untainted by the scandal, and he was one of the 21 2006 FIFA World Cup officials. Massimo De Santis is a well-known Italian football referee currently under investigation for match-fixing. ... Fabio Cannavaro lifts the World Cup trophy after Italy won the World Cup for a fourth time The 2006 FIFA World Cup was an international association football tournament held in Germany from June 9, 2006 to July 9, 2006. ... The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) (Italian: Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio) is the governing body of football in Italy. ... Roberto Rosetti (born September 18, 1967 in Pecetto Torinese) is an Italian football referee. ... 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,[1] from a shortlist of 44. ...

The eruption of the scandal has also drawn attention to many potential conflicts of interest within Italian football. Adriano Galliani, the Vice-President/CEO of AC Milan, also serves as the President of Serie A. A conflict of interest is a situation in which someone in a position of trust, such as a lawyer, a politician, or an executive or director of a corporation, has competing professional and/or personal interests. ... Serie A is the top division of the Italian Football League, the highest football league in Italy. ...

In addition to allegations of corruption and sports fraud by owners, managers, players, referees, and league officials, "the host of Italy's most popular soccer show, Aldo Biscardi, has resigned amid allegations that he collaborated with Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi to boost the club's image on television".^[2]

In all, magistrates in Naples are formally investigating 41 people and are looking into 19 Serie A matches from the 2004-05 season and 14 Serie A matches from the 2005-06 season. Prosecutors in Turin are examining Juventus chairman Antonio Giraudo over transfers, suspected falsified accounts and tax evasion. Prosecutors in Parma are investigating national team goalkeeper Buffon, Enzo Maresca and retired players Antonio Chimenti and Mark Iuliano for suspected gambling on Serie A matches.^[3] Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Nàpule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region and the Province of Naples. ... Parma is a medieval city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, with splendid architecture and a fine countryside around it. ... Gianluigi Gigi Buffon (born January 28, 1978 in Carrara, Italy) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. ... Vincenzo Maresca commonly known as Enzo Maresca (born 10 February 1980 in Pontecagnano, Salerno) is a Italian footballer, currently plays for Spanish team Sevilla. ... Mark Iuliano (born 12 August 1973 Cosenza) is an italian football defender, currently plays for U.C. Sampdoria. ...

Consequences

Franco Carraro 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 Juve 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.^[4] The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) (Italian: Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio) is the governing body of football in Italy. ... The FIFA World Cup Trophy, which has been awarded to the world champions since 1974. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... The Borsa Italiana S.p. ... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ...

The FIGC entered administration on 16 May, with Guido Rossi installed as extraordinary commissioner. At Juventus, Carlo Sant'Albano was named acting managing director on 19 May. Successively, Rossi appointed Francesco Saverio Borrelli, former Mani Pulite judge as head of the federation investigations office; he will be in charge of the inquiry related to the scandal. May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... Mani pulite (Italian for clean hands) was a nationwide Italian police investigation into political corruption held in the 1990s, following the scandal of Banco Ambrosiano in 1982, which implicated mafia, Vatican Bank and P2. ...

Teams found guilty of match fixing have been relegated before in Italian football history, most recently in 1980 when AC Milan and Lazio were demoted to Serie B. Involved teams could also be found ineligible to compete in the 2006-07 season of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, and the Italian Cup. Based on their final league positions, Juventus and Milan would enter the Champions League, Inter Milan and Fiorentina would enter the third qualifying round of the Champions League, and A.S. Roma, Lazio, and Chievo would be eligible for the UEFA Cup. The list of Italian participants in next season's competitions was due to UEFA on 5 June.^[5] On June 6, 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. FIFA have given FIGC an informal July 31 deadline to confirm the standings or face sanctions in the two larger European competitions. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Serie B is the name of the second highest football league in Italy. ... European Clubs Champions Cup, the trophy of the UEFA Champions League European Cup redirects here. ... UEFA Cup logo The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams. ... Internazionale Milano Football Club is an Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, which plays in the Serie A. It is more commonly known as Inter, and often named Inter Milan in foreign countries. ... Associazione Sportiva Roma (ISE: IT0001008876) is an Italian football club and the major in Rome and in central part of Italy. ... Associazione Calcio Chievo Verona is an Italian football club named after a minor suburb of Verona, Veneto, and owned by Paluani, a cakes company and the inspiration for their original name, Paluani Chievo. ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... UEFA Intertoto Cup 2006 will be the first after the major change of the competition format. ... US Città di Palermo is an Italian soccer team which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining. ...

On 4 July, the Italian Football Federation's prosecutor called for all four clubs at the centre of the match-fixing scandal to be thrown out of Serie A. Stefano Palazzi called for Juventus to drop at least two divisions (his statement read that Juventus should be sent "lower than Serie B", without a specific division stated) and for AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio to drop one. He also asked for points penalties to be imposed (6 for Juventus, 3 for AC Milan, and 15 for both Fiorentina and Lazio). The prosecutor also called for Juventus to be stripped of its 2005 and 2006 titles.^[6] July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ...

Sentences

The following penalties were announced on 14 July 2006, pending appeals: July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ...

• Juventus: relegation to Serie B, revocation of the 2004-05 Serie A title, non-assignation of the 2005/2006 Serie A title, 30 points to be deducted in the 2006-07 Serie B season.
• Milan: 44 points deducted from their 2005-06 Serie A season total, putting the team outside the European Cup qualification places, plus 15 points to be deducted in the 2006-07 Serie A season.
• Fiorentina: relegation to Serie B, plus 12 points to be deducted in the 2006-07 Serie B season.
• Lazio: relegation to Serie B, plus 7 points to be deducted in the 2006-07 Serie B season.

In addition, the following punishments were given to individuals: Juventus Football Club (Latin for Youth, pronounced yoo-VEHN-toos) is one of Italys oldest and most successful football clubs, based in Turin. ... Serie B is the name of the second highest football league in Italy. ... Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese: Milán) is the main city of northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed region in Italy, being often mistaken with the capital of the country. ... ACF Fiorentina, formerly Associazione Calcio Fiorentina, is an Italian football club based in Firenze (Florence). ... Latium (now Lazio in Italian) is a region of central Italy, bordered by Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania and the Tyrrhenian Sea. ...

• Luciano Moggi: 50,000 euro fine and 5 year ban from football, with a further recommendation to the FIGC President that he be banned for life from membership of the FIGC at any level.
• Antonio Giraudo: 20,000 euro fine and 5 year ban from football, with a further recommendation to the FIGC President that he be banned for life from membership of the FIGC at any level.
• Adriano Galliani: One year ban from football.
• Leonardo Meani: 3 year 6 month ban from football.
• Andrea Della Valle: 20,000 euro fine and 3 year 6 month ban from football.
• Diego Della Valle: 30,000 euro fine and 4 year ban from football.
• Claudio Lotito: 10,000 euro fine and 3 year 6 month ban from football.
• Franco Carraro: 4.5 year ban from football.
• Innocenzo Mazzini: 5 year ban from football.
• Tullio Lanese: 2.5 year ban from football.
• Pierluigi Pairetto: 2.5 year ban from football.
• Gennaro Mazzei: 1 year ban from football.
• Pietro Ingargiola: Given a warning.
• Massimo De Santis: 4.5 year ban from football.
• Paolo Dondarini: 3.5 year ban from football.
• Fabrizio Babini: 1 year ban from football.
• Gianluca Paparesta: 3 month ban from football.
• Claudio Puglisi: 1 year ban from football.

Luciano Moggi (born July 10, 1937 in Monticiano) is an Italian football managing director. ... The euro (currency sign: €; banking code: EUR) is official currency in the following twelve European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain; collectively also known as the Eurozone. ... Massimo De Santis is a well-known Italian football referee currently under investigation for match-fixing. ...

Knock-on Effects

As a result of the three relegations, Messina, Lecce and Treviso remain in Serie A despite occupying the bottom three places in season 2005-06. Inter, Roma, Chievo and Palermo will occupy Italy's four Champions' League places for season 2006-07.

See also

• Brazilian football match-fixing scandal
• German Bundesliga scandal of 2005

Máfia do Apito (literally meaning Whistles Mafia), sometimes called Escândalo do Apito (meaning Whistles Scandal), was the name given by the Brazilian press to the football match-fixing scandal denounced by Veja magazine on September 23, 2005. ... The Bundesliga scandal of 2005 was a match fixing scandal which began when referee Robert Hoyzer admitted to fixing football matches in the German 2nd Division Bundesliga in January, 2005. ...

External links

Wikinews has news related to:

Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina relegated from Italy's Serie A

• Report from the Guardian
• Former Juventus manager quizzed about involvement
• BBC Sport article

Image File history File links Wikinews-logo. ... Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ...

References

1. ^ James Eve, "Italy's elite prepare defences ahead of tribunal", Reuters, 27 June 2006.
2. ^ Jesper Kock and Kirsten Sparre, "TV host felled for his part in Juventus scandal", PlayTheGame.org, 26 May 2006.
3. ^ "Serie A quartet will stand trial", BBC, 23 June 2006.
4. ^ "Lippi meets magistrates as Juve's shares tumble", ESPNsoccernet, 19 May 2006.
5. ^ "Tax police search Juventus offices as probe goes on", ESPNsoccernet, 18 May 2006.
6. ^ "Relegation call for Italian four", BBC, 4 July 2006.