(ANSA) - The Italian Soccer Federation's highest board of appeals has rejected Genoa's bid to overturn its relegation to the C1 third division and confirmed all sentences handed out to club administrators and players for match-fixing.
Earlier this month, the federation's disciplinary board found Genoa, Italy's oldest club, guilty of bribing Venezia to throw its final Serie B match of the season. The 3-2 victory guaranteed Genoa a return to Serie A after a 10-year absence.
The board also slapped a five-year ban from soccer on Genoa Chairman Enrico Preziosi, Venezia Managing Director Franco Dal Cin and Venezia General Manager Giuseppe Pagliara. Two Venezia players were given short bans. Soccer officials opened a probe into the match after police found 250,000 euros in the car of a Venezia executive.
The two clubs claimed it was a transfer fee but Italian police have wiretaps they say contain incriminating conversations. The disciplinary board not only sent Genoa down to Serie C1 but also saddled it with a 3-point handicap. Venezia was given no punishment as it recently went bankrupt.
Founded by British railway workers as the Genoa Cricket and Athletic Club in 1893, Genoa won its first title in 1898 and claimed eight more by 1924. It is fourth in the all-time rankings behind freshly
crowned champions Juventus with 28, AC Milan with 17 and Inter Milan with 13.
Genoa is one of three clubs soccer federation refused entry to Serie A this year.
The other two, Messina and newly promoted Torino, were rejected because of concerns about their finances. Last Tuesday Lazio's Regional Administrative Court (TAR) readmitted Messina to Serie A, but upheld FIGC's decision to dump Torino from the top-flight.
Bologna - which was relegated last season and was due to take Messina's place - has taken the case to the Council of State, which has the final word on the matter. The Council of State will rule on Tuesday on this cases as well as those of Torino, Perugia and Salernitana, which FIGC threw out of Serie B.
