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4 Italian clubs sanctioned for match-fixing.

Just days after winning its fourth World Cup title, Italian soccer suffered an all-time low as four top clubs and top officials and referees were sanctioned for match-fixing.

An Italian sports tribunal demoted Juventus to Serie B and stripped it of its last two Serie A titles Friday. Lazio and Fiorentina were also demoted to the second division, while AC Milan was spared relegation but was given a 15-point penalty in the top division.

Of the 26 officials or referees implicated in the scandal, 19 received punishment ranging from the maximum five-year ban to a warning; five were acquitted; and two were banned for life without prosecution because they resigned before being charged.

The penalties can be appealed within five days to a higher sports court.

The scandal is projected to take a financial toll on the clubs involved. In addition to game-day receipts, broadcast rights may need to be reworked for the teams relegated to the second division, and sponsorship contracts for Juventus may be endangered if it is unable to work its way backup to Serie A in one season.

Thirteen of the 23-man Italian squad that won Sunday's World Cup final belong to the four teams penalized, and already there was speculation about whether they might leave or have their contracts sold because the teams could no longer afford them.

"It's obvious that part of our squad will not remain in Serie B. We can't deny them the chance to play in a more competitive league," said Juventus President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, adding that Real Madrid was making moves on some of his players.

Juventus was given a 30-point penalty, meaning it will have to struggle to climb back to the top league. Fiorentina was penalized 12 points and Lazio 7.

Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi and former Juventus chief executive Antonio Giraudo received the maximum five-year ban for match-fixing and disloyalty, with a recommendation to the federation to make it a ban for life.

The two, who resigned in May along with the club's entire board, were accused of creating a network of contacts with federation officials to influence refereeing assignments and get players booked.

Soccer federation chief Guido Rossi, who took over in the wake of the scandal, sought a speedy trial to clean up the game and restore the sport's image quickly.

The sentence for Juve marks the first demotion since its inception in 1897. The Turin-based powerhouse has won 29 league titles -- including the ones stripped by Friday's verdict -- two Champions League titles, four Italian Supercups, two European Supercups and two Intercontinental Cups.

Fans took to the streets after hearing the news that their teams will be playing next season in the second-tier Serie B.

"To Hell", screamed a front-page column in Italy's leading newspaper Corriere della Sera. It counted 120 hours from Italy's World Cup win to the moment when "two generations of soccer establishment were wiped out."

As teams prepared their appeals, the country braced for a likely exodus of prized players such as World Cup captain Fabio Cannavaro and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

But subscribers to Lets-Travel-Rome.com will still be able to grab premium tickets to all Lazio and Roma homegames through this link:

Lets-Travel-Rome.com/Rome Soccer Tours

posted by Les Sheppard @ 9:38 AM