Moggi banned for life

Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi has received a life ban from involvement in Italian football.

Moggi was banned for five years following the 2006 match-fixing scandal which led to Juve being relegated, and also resulted in the club being stripped of their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles.

With that suspension running out, the Italian Football Federation has exiled him permanently, along with fellow former Juve director Antonio Giraudo and Innocenzo Mazzini, a former vice-president of football federation.

Despite the original suspension being handed down to Moggi five years ago, the FIGC has only just officially inflicted ‘a permanent ban from any position or category within the Federation.’

“Moggi’s ban is entirely in proportion with his behaviour, taking into account their intrinsic seriousness and the abhorrent consequences,” the disciplinary commission statement read.

“The fact others may have behaved in similar fashion, which still has to be proved, does not take away from the gravity of his ban.”

“Mazzini is punished for the extraordinary gravity of his behaviour and the insult towards the prestigious position of vice-president.”

“He sought to alter sporting results and favour the interests of individuals.”

Moggi, Giraudo and Mazzini were accused of attempting to influence or pressure referees.

A trial running in Naples at present features new evidence put forward by Moggi’s lawyers, claiming many other clubs, including Inter Milan, behaved in similar fashion.

His frequent media outbursts have also upset federation officials, who are also still considering whether Inter Milan should have been awarded the 2006 Scudetto, after new evidence emerged in the trial.

Inter deny any wrongdoing.

Moggi’s exile comes as a new match-fixing scandal engulfs Italian football with second division and top-flight games from last season under investigation.

Retired former Italy striker Giuseppe Signori was put under house arrest on suspicion of being involved in illegal betting and match manipulation, but had the order lifted on Wednesday.