The Relegation Race in Serie A is Heating Up
By: Bob | August 18th, 2006
The Italian football season doesn’t start until the second week of September (if the scandal appeals don’t delay it further), but that doesn’t mean the competition isn’t already fierce, especially at the bottom of the table.
It was announced yesterday that Serie A side Reggina would remain in Italy’s top league but that the club would be docked 15 points as a penalty for its role in the match fixing fiasco that is rocking the country.
If things stand the way they are now, and that is not a given since the lawyers are working triple time in Italy to get these penalties reduced, Reggina will be in a battle with AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina for last place in Serie A before the season even commences.
All four teams have been penalized points and with the rate that clubs are succumbing to the scandal, the winner of Serie A this year might just be the team that finishes the season with 0 points.
The last place race in Serie B also is going to be fierce with Juventus learning its appeal fate today (Update: its fate isn’t good) and Arezzo learning yesterday that it would start the season 9 points in the hole.
As interesting (not) that it is to read about courtroom hearings and appeals, I can only imagine how disheartening it must be for true Serie A fans. The league is becoming a bad joke and the season ahead is on course to be a train wreck. Regaining the league’s credibility is going to take years. But at least those relegation races are going to be something.
By the way, the match fixing disease has apparently also spread to Russia.
Category: Serie A
Subscribe
|
Print
|
Share
      |
Comments are closed
Home 
