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corrupt Italian football execs and officials heading to jail

Glad to see Italian courts have the laws to send corrupt sports official to jail. The people behind the Calciopoli scandal have been handed harsh sentences, hopefully sending a strong precedent in Italian football. This might be the biggest scandal they've had, but it's really the tip of the iceberg. Other incidents are often individual favours between clubs rather than being coordinated by an external syndicate. Note in this case, and nearly all the suspicious Italian matches, it's not about match-fixing for betting, but to win titles or avoid relegation.

Moggi gets 5 years in fix scandal

Former Juventus executive Luciano Moggi was sentenced to five years and four months in prison by a Naples court Tuesday for his role in the 2006 Italian match-fixing scandal.

Prosecutors were seeking a sentence of five years and eight months for Moggi on charges of criminal association aimed at committing sports fraud.

Another former Juventus executive, Antonio Giraudo, already received a three-year sentence and has appealed.

The scandal - the biggest corruption case in the history of Italian football - left Juventus stripped of the 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles and relegated to Serie B by a sports court.

Three other top clubs - AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina - were also penalised, as were Reggina and Arezzo.

Also, former referee selector Paolo Bergamo was sentenced to three years and eight months and colleague Pierluigi Pairetto was handed a 16-month sentence, according to the ANSA news agency.

Fiorentina owners Andrea and Diego Della Valle and Lazio president Claudio Lotito received 15-month sentences for lesser charges.



It's time other countries ensured they have the laws in place to deal with sports corruption. Nations that bury their heads in the sand and insist 'it won't happen here' are prime candidates for endemic corruption.

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