Three Italian clubs relegated in scandal

[Deathclaw]

Juventus, Fiorentina, and Lazio were relegated Friday by a sport's tribunal in Rome over their involvement in the match fixing scandal which has shocked the country. Juventus recieved a 30 point deficit to start their Serie B campaign, which makes immediate promotion very unlikely. They were also stripped of the Scudetti they won in the last 2 seasons. AC Milan were handed a deficit of 44 points on last seasons standings that takes them out of Europe, putting them one point behind Empoli, who gained the final UEFA Cup spot. Inter Milan and Roma replace Juventus and AC Milan as the two Italian clubs with automatic qualification to the Champions League group stage.

The rulings have started a transfer talk merry-go-round. Alessandro Del Piero has committed to Juventus and new boss Deschamps. Del Piero would have a tough time finding a club willing to pay a big transfer fee for a 31 year old. Pavel Nedved is also "quite certain" that he will stay with Juventus.

Many players are likely to ply their trade elsewhere in Italy or other leagues in Europe. ?30 million goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will attract high profile clubs, as well as players such as David Trezeguet (linked to Liverpool), Vieira (linked with return to Arsenal or move to Manchester United), defender Lilian Thuram, Italy skipper Fabio Cannavaro, attacking full back Gianluca Zambrotta, and Mauro Camoranesi, among other Juve players. Luca Toni seems likely to leave Fiorentina, and as been heavily linked with Inter Milan, who played no part in the scandal. Fiorentina skipper and Czech Republic center back Tomas Ujfalusi also seems likely to look for a new club. Bulgarian striker Valeri Bojinov should attract big names as well (side note: I think Newcastle should try to sign him, with Shearer retired and Owen injured. Ameobi and Luque are their strike pair now, and Luque gets hurt a lot).

Lazio have a more modest squad and a bigger chance of remaining intact, but Italy World Cup squad member Massimo Oddo will not relish the idea of Serie B football.

AC Milan's players could be unsettled by the idea of a season without European football, with Kaka being linked to Real Madrid.