And now, what to do? The question has been tormenting all Italian football fans for days (especially Inter and Juventus fans) but above all the FIGC president Giancarlo Abete. In fact, it will be he, together with the 24 federal councilors (the presidents of the Gianni Rivera school youth sector and the Roberto Baggio technical sector do not have the right to vote) who will have to decide what to do next 18 July. That Monday in Rome, which we imagine as hot and sultry as ever, will be a watershed day in the history of Italian football, come what may. Because, if it is true that the Federal Council could also reserve the right not to decide, it is equally true that this would lead to sensational positions taken by Juventus.
Andrea Agnelli, who presented a complaint on May 10, 2010 for the revocation of the 2006 championship, was very clear: “I have only one hesitation – he declared Wednesday on the sidelines of the presentation of the new black and white shirts – I'm afraid we'll decide not to decide. And doing so, in one of the lowest moments in the history of Italian football, would be detrimental to the credibility of the entire system. But I want respect: we have the means, skills and knowledge to move even outside the sphere of sports justice". In other words, if no decision were reached on 18 July, or worse, everything ended up in tarallucci and wine, Juventus would turn to ordinary justice, in all likelihood unleashing real pandemonium. What could a move like this lead to? Suspension of the championships? New processes? Certainly nothing positive for Italian football, which, this time, would not have the shield from the World Cup that saved it in 2006. Do you remember the atmosphere of justicialism that summer? Someone even proposed to stop football indefinitely.
Then Marcello Lippi (the one who according to some politicians shouldn't even have left for Germany, given the involvement of his son Davide, later acquitted, in the investigation relating to GEA World) gave the whole of Italy the roof of the world after 24 years of wait. There it was clear to everyone that the sporting process would be quick and summary: woe to take away from the people their favorite toy (football), the most effective weapon of mass distraction, at least in the boot. The requests that Stefano Palazzi presented on 4 July 2006 were very harsh: for Juventus, exclusion from the league they are responsible for (Serie A) and assignment to a lower category than Serie B (therefore also C2) with 6 penalty points, revocation of the 2004 Scudetto -2005, non-awarding of the Scudetto 2005-2006.
For Lazio and Fiorentina relegation to Serie B with 15 penalty points, for Milan relegation to the same series with 3 penalty points. Then on 8 August, following a second line of investigations, Palazzi asked for relegation to Serie B with 15 penalty points also for Reggina and relegation to Serie C1 (Lega Pro was not yet born) for Arezzo , with 3 penalty points. However, the sentences were of a much lighter tenor: taking into consideration only the definitive ones issued on 26 October 2006 by the CONI arbitration, the only one to suffer a relegation was Juventus (with 9 penalty points against the initial 30), which both the 2004 – 05 and 2005 – 06 championships were also revoked. Lazio and Fiorentina, which in the first instance had been relegated to B respectively with 7 and 12 penalty points, instead saw Serie A confirmed (already obtained in Appeal of July 25, 2006) with 3 (!) and 15 penalty points. 11 points to be discounted for Reggina (obviously in Serie A) and 6 for Arezzo (in B). Milan got away with 8 points to be served in the top flight and was able to participate in the Champions League (which they later won). Then there were various disqualifications for the executives involved, from Luciano Moggi to Antonio Giraudo (for both 5 years plus a proposal for expulsion, obtained last June 15), from the brothers Andrea and Diego Della Valle (respectively 1 year and 1 month and 8 months of disqualification), to Milan players Leonardo Meani and Adriano Galliani (2 years and 3 months and 5 months disqualification) from Lazio's Claudio Lotito (4 months) to Reggio's Pasquale Foti (1 year and 1 month). The federal vice president Innocenzo Mazzini also paid a heavy bill (5 years with a proposal for expulsion, also obtained here), the arbitration designator of the time Pierluigi Pairetto (2 years and 6 months of disqualification), the referee Massimo De Santis (4 years of disqualification), while the other AIA designator Paolo Bergamo (not judged because he resigned the previous year) and the FIGC president Franco Carraro (acquitted) got away with it.
In short, a real earthquake, even if the strongest shock hit above all Juventus and its 2 key executives. In all this vortex of names and numbers (necessary to remember well a story about which today, unfortunately, many write inaccuracies) there isn't even a line about Inter. Yes, because in the summer of 2006 the Nerazzurri weren't affected in the least by Calciopoli, on the contrary, they undoubtedly benefited from it. On 26 July, 24 hours after the appeal sentences, Guido Rossi (then extraordinary commissioner of the FIGC) and the so-called "3 wise men" (Gerhard Aigner, former UEFA general secretary, Massimo Coccia, lawyer and sports law expert and Roberto Pardolesi, Ordinary of comparative private law) took a decision destined to upset the balance of our football. The 2005-06 Scudetto (a season which, it should be remembered, is not affected by any interception), still vacant, was awarded to Inter. The communiqué issued then reads that "The Extraordinary Commissioner decided to stick to the conclusions of the opinion and that there are no reasons for the adoption of measures not to assign the title of Champion of Italy for the 2005-2006 championship to the first-placed team following the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings”.
Therefore, Juventus and Milan were disqualified (first and second on the field with 91 and 88 points respectively), the title was given to Inter (third classified with 76 points), currently without any stain. There has never been a lack of controversy over a Scudetto which, right from the start, was defined as "cardboard" by all the anti-Inter fans in Italy. Conversely, Massimo Moratti has always considered him the flagship of his management, the compensation for many years of arbitration abuses. But the tide changed in April last year, when Luciano Moggi's defense presented some unpublished interceptions concerning Inter, its current president Massimo Moratti and the then president Giacinto Facchetti, with Paolo Bergamo. The rest is recent history, with Stefano Palazzi's report on Monday 4 July. The federal prosecutor wrote, in the 24 pages concerning Inter, that the Nerazzurri, if the crimes had not lapsed, would have a responsibility "directed to ensure an advantage in the standings in favor of the Internazionale, by conditioning the regular functioning of the arbitration sector and the violation of the principles of otherness, impartiality, impartiality and independence in violation of the previously applicable article 6 of the code of justice in force at the time and now replaced by article 9″. For Inter, according to Palazzi, "direct and presumed responsibility", for the president Moratti, however, the point raised is the violation of article 1. Very serious accusations, which beyond the prescription (which makes it impossible for the Nerazzurri to involve in Calciopoli) seriously tarnish the immaculate image (remember Materazzi's white tuxedo?) hitherto waved from the rooftops by the reigning world champions. Beyond the juridical aspects, a big ethical problem arises here, which risks destroying what little credibility remains in our football.
In the light of Facchetti's interceptions, how can we still justify awarding the 2006 Scudetto to Inter? Removing it, however, would lead to very harsh positions taken by Massimo Moratti, who could (like Agnelli) turn to ordinary justice for damages. That is why on 18 July next, any decision the 25 members of the council take (even the non-decision) seriously risks breaking the bank. There are 5 possible scenarios, all with their contraindications. The first would see Inter confirming the Scudetto, which would make Andrea Agnelli very angry, the second would still give the title to the Nerazzurri, but with censorship. A nice way to wash your hands. The third, undoubtedly the one that would make the most noise, would lead to the revocation of the tricolor, unleashing an unprecedented uproar. Scenarios 4 and 5, on the other hand, would be the most appreciated by the Council (but not by its president Abete) because they would hand the buck to someone else: the non-suit for incompetence, with consequent transfer of the decision to another office, or, worse still, the postponement of the decision would let the federal leaders breathe, but would unleash the anger of fans throughout Italy. First of all the Juventus players, who have been waiting for an answer for 12 months (!), but also the Inter fans, who would not see recognized what, according to them, is a right acquired over time. The "neutrals" on the other hand (that is, all the fans of the other teams) would widen their eyes and ask themselves loudly: but, with these premises, what kind of championship will be next?
The chaos is therefore total, also because there are no precise rules in this sense, and the very concrete risk is that good lawyers can drag this nasty story forever. Therefore, a quick and precise decision, even if uncomfortable, would be better than yet another retreat. To you federal councilors the arduous sentence, hoping, regardless of football faith, that the shameful mess of 2006 will not be repeated.
