The trial on match-fixing charges for Juventus AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina football clubs started Thursday in Rome but was promptly adjourned. After only three hours, chief judge Cesare Ruperto postponed the trial until Monday after lawyers asked for more time to prepare. Champions Juventus and the other powerhouses could be relegated from Serie A and forced out of European competition if found guilty of sporting fraud. Additionally, twenty six individuals including Italian Football Federation (IFF) officials and referees who were also charged last week face suspensions from involvement in the scandal. No players were accused. Charges have been brought forward for sporting fraud and unfair conduct following the publication of intercepted telephone conversations. In the conversations, former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi discussed refereeing appointments with senior IFF officials during the 2004-05 season. Moggi resigned after Juventus claimed their 29th championship in May 2006.
Juventus could be stripped off their titles Other officials on trial include Milan vice president and former president of the Italian Football League Adriano Galliani, Fiorentina owner Diego Della Valle, Lazio President Claudio Lotito and former FIGC president Franco Carraro. All have denied wrongdoing. Of the eight referees facing charges, Massimo de Santic had been positioned to officiate at the 2006 World Cup. He was pulled out after being implicated in the investigation. The tribunal consists of six judges and a member of the Italian Referees Association, and was located in Rome's Olympic stadium. Nearby in a separate room in the arena journalists from around the world watched a closed circuit broadcast of the proceedings. Ruperto, former head of Italy's Constitutional Court, opened the sports trial by reading out the names of the accused to check if they were present. Moggi did not attend, while Galliani, the highest-ranking Milan official involved, sat in the first row. Juventus, who won the Serie A title for the last two seasons, are supposedly at the greatest risk of relegation and could be stripped of their last two Serie A titles. If they were relegated, Juventus, AC Milan and Fiorentina would miss the Champions League and Lazio the UEFA Cup, but if they were only docked points next season, they would still be able to compete. While the football trial is not a criminal proceeding, prosecutors in four cities have launched investigations which could lead to criminal charges against some of those facing the tribunal.
