The scandal in Serie A
The verdict is out! The four clubs which were implicated in the match-fixing scandal have all been meted out harsh punishments.
Juventus have been relegated to Serie B. The Bianconeri have been stripped of their league titles of this season and the last. They will start Serie B with minus 30 points. The Italian Serie B has 22 teams, which play 42 games across the season. Only the top three teams win promotion to the Serie A. This year, Atalanta (81), Catania (78) and Torino (76) have been promoted to the Serie A. If the trend were to continue in the coming season, the old lady of Turin will have to secure at least 110 points to be assured of getting back to the top flight. 110 points out of 126? Simple. Win 35 games. Draw 5. Keep praying! Juve are out of the Champions League for the next two seasons, at least! How are they going to manage this if there is going to be a player clear-out?
AC Milan is the only club of the four that has not been relegated. However, the Rossoneri will start with a 15-point penalty. They have been booted out of the coming season's Champions League. And this penalty might mean that it will be a tough fight for them to get there next season too. However, if they perform just as well as the did in the last season, their chances are bright. Milan ended with 88 points, to fourth-placed Fiorentina's 74. In Italy, the top two teams get a direct entry, and the next two will have to play a qualifying round. The advantage they have enjoyed this season is just as much as the penalty. In any case, Milan will play in the UEFA Cup, though it is not as money-spinning as the Champions League. Have we seen the last of the impeccable Paolo Maldini in Europe's biggest club competition?
Fiorentina and Lazio have also been relegated. Further they been handed out 12- and 7-point deductions respectively.
Juventus have been relegated to Serie B. The Bianconeri have been stripped of their league titles of this season and the last. They will start Serie B with minus 30 points. The Italian Serie B has 22 teams, which play 42 games across the season. Only the top three teams win promotion to the Serie A. This year, Atalanta (81), Catania (78) and Torino (76) have been promoted to the Serie A. If the trend were to continue in the coming season, the old lady of Turin will have to secure at least 110 points to be assured of getting back to the top flight. 110 points out of 126? Simple. Win 35 games. Draw 5. Keep praying! Juve are out of the Champions League for the next two seasons, at least! How are they going to manage this if there is going to be a player clear-out?
AC Milan is the only club of the four that has not been relegated. However, the Rossoneri will start with a 15-point penalty. They have been booted out of the coming season's Champions League. And this penalty might mean that it will be a tough fight for them to get there next season too. However, if they perform just as well as the did in the last season, their chances are bright. Milan ended with 88 points, to fourth-placed Fiorentina's 74. In Italy, the top two teams get a direct entry, and the next two will have to play a qualifying round. The advantage they have enjoyed this season is just as much as the penalty. In any case, Milan will play in the UEFA Cup, though it is not as money-spinning as the Champions League. Have we seen the last of the impeccable Paolo Maldini in Europe's biggest club competition?
Fiorentina and Lazio have also been relegated. Further they been handed out 12- and 7-point deductions respectively.
posted by Vijay Krishna Narayanan | 7/15/2006 12:50:00 AM
2 Comments:
y no blog post lately ?
first time here..new to blogging too..I have enjoyed reading ur posts
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