Moggi guilty of sporting fraud

Former Juventus general director Luciano Moggi has been found guilty of sporting fraud and sentenced to more than five years in prison.

Moggi – a key player in the 2006 Calciopoli match-fixing scandal – was found guilty by the Tribunal of Naples but will not spend any time in jail due to the Italian laws.

Since this is a first-degree sentence, there are several levels of appeal which Moggi can use.

Former refereeing designators Paolo Bergamo and Pierluigi Pairetto have been sentenced to three years and eight months and one year and 11 months respectively, while Fiorentina owners Diego and Andrea Della Valle and Lazio president Claudio Lotito have each been banned for one year and three months.

“I absolutely did not expect this sentence,” said Maurilio Prioreschi, one of Moggi’s attorneys. “We have only lost the first round, we will try to turn the situation around in appeal.”

“We will do everything until we have justice. Moggi is devastated, he does not understand how he has been given this sentence.”

“We now have 90 days to know the grounds for the decision and prepare our defence for the appeal.”

Moggi, 74, had already been banned from football for life for his involvement in an organised criminal ring which was discovered via a network of phone calls, implicating referees and designators as well as FIGC (Italian Football Federation) officials.

The FIGC relegated Juventus to Serie B and docked the club nine points for the 2006/07 campaign after conducting their own investigation, while Fiorentina, AC Milan, Lazio and Reggina all received points deductions among their sanctions.