Moggi sentenced over match-fixing
Reuters - Tuesday 08 November 2011, 21:35
Former Juventus general
manager Luciano Moggi was sentenced to five years and four
months in jail on Tuesday for his role in the match-fixing case
which led to the club being demoted and stripped of their 2005
and 2006 Serie A titles.
Moggi, already banned from football for life, was found
guilty of sporting fraud and conspiracy by an Italian court in
the criminal trial linked to the affair.
Fiorentina owners and brothers Andrea and Diego Della Valle
and Lazio president Claudio Lotito were sentenced to 15 months
and fined 25,000 euros ($34,600) each.
Former referee selector Paolo Bergamo was sentenced to three
years and eight months and his colleague Pierluigi Pairetto to
one year and 11 months.
Prosecutors in Naples, who had been investigating the case,
had asked for five years and eight months for Moggi. His lawyer
said he would appeal.
Moggi, who was not in court, has already been convicted of
trying to manipulate the transfer market via a management agency
in a separate criminal trial but has never served his one-year
term.
The defendants are unlikely to spend time in jail due to
Italy's lengthy appeals process and the reluctance of judges to
imprison offenders for non-violent crimes.
Juventus spent a season in Serie B after the scandal. They
won promotion at the first attempt but have never since reached
their former heights although they are unbeaten this season.
The 2005 scudetto was not re-awarded and Inter Milan were
declared champions for 2006.
Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were also docked points
after being found guilty alongside Juventus of influencing the
appointment of referees in the so-called Calciopoli scandal.
Earlier this year, Juventus called for Inter's title to be
revoked following allegations that they were also involved in
the scandal. However, the Italian federation ruled it did not
have the power to revoke the decision and Inter were confirmed
as champions.