Calciopoli appeal begins
Saturday 22 July, 2006
The Calciopoli appeals trial has begun this morning as the four clubs found guilty of sporting fraud attempt to overturn their punishments.
Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio and Milan were all found to have committed irregularities in relation to the assignment of referees and linesman during the 2004-05 campaign.
Giants Juventus were the most heavily hit as they were stripped of their last two titles, demoted to Serie B and handed a massive 30-point penalty.
The Old Lady are using the appeal to have that point deduction reduced as much as possible in order to give them any chance of winning instant promotion back to Serie A.
The other three clubs are all aiming to be cleared of all charges by starting the next campaign in the top flight with no penalties.
At present, Fiorentina and Lazio have been assigned to the Second Division with a deduction of 12 and seven points respectively.
Milan kept their place in the top tier, but were kicked out of the Champions League and given a 15-point setback for the 2006-07 campaign.
Today’s trial kicked off at 9am local time at the Parco dei Principi Hotel in Rome, the same venue where the first grade sentences were delivered.
It’s unclear when Piero Sandulli, the President of the appeals court, will hand out his court’s verdict.
FIGC chief Guido Rossi is hoping for an outcome before July 25 which is the deadline that UEFA have set to be handed the names of Italy’s European competitors.
As it stands, Inter, Roma, Chievo Verona and Palermo will all take part in the European Cup after the omission of Juve, Milan and Fiorentina.
Although the appeal sentence should in theory be the definite verdict, there is the possibility that clubs could go and seek justice in the civil courts if still not satisfied with the outcome.