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Paparesta banned for season Tuesday 5 September, 2006
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Referee Gianluca Paparesta has been suspended for eight months as part of the Calciopoli scandal, while Juventus and Lazio’s conciliation fails.
The whistle-blower is already sitting out a three-month ban from the original trial, but this new punishment comes from the AIA (Italian Referees’ Association) Disciplinary Commission and will run from October 20, 2006 to June 19, 2007.
The prosecutor had asked for a two-year suspension after wiretapped telephone conversations with ex-Milan referee liaison Leonardo Meani.
Paparesta was also punished for failing to report an incident that followed a Reggina-Juventus match in 2004-05.
Former Bianconeri director general Luciano Moggi locked the referee in his dressing room after Paparesta disallowed a last-minute Juve equaliser in their 2-1 defeat at the Stadio Granillo. He is expected to lodge an appeal.
Meanwhile, the CONI conciliation meetings continue to disappoint. Today both Lazio and ex-Juventus director Antonio Giraudo failed to reach an agreement, so they’ll move on to the next stage of the appeals process.
“This step was only a formality,” explained Giraudo’s lawyer, Massimo Krogh. “The two parties were too distant and it was impossible to find common ground. Our request is very clear – annul all of the decisions made by the sporting justice system.”
It’s now believed Giraudo, who was banned for five years, will skip the next phase and appeal straight to the TAR tribunal, a move that Juventus had threatened earlier this week and then opted out of.
“We are determined to go all the way. We’ll go to the civil courts and the TAR tribunal. There are no other possible alternatives.”
Lazio President Claudio Lotito has pointed out he’ll remain “within the confines of the sporting justice system. The facts will show whether we were right or not, but I repeat that I had nothing to do with this whole situation.”
Lotito was suspended for two years and six months, while Lazio were ordered to begin the 2006-07 campaign with an 11-point handicap.
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/sep5l.html