A judge in the port city of Genoa has blocked the Italian soccer federation's preparations for the 2005-2006 season in a row over Genoa's relegation to the third division for match fixing. The ruling means that FIGC cannot draw up match calendars or make any administrative moves which imply Genoa is not part of Serie A for the season which starts on August 28.
In response, Italian soccer federation President Franco Carraro said that a court order to suspend the drawing up of match calendars could not hold back the start of the new season. "The championship is set to begin on August 28, it's impossible to stop it," said Carraro, adding that delaying the start would breach countless national and international rules.
Civil court judge Alvaro Vigotti accepted the request made by Genoa's lawyers for an urgent measure freezing any actions by the federation (FIGC) which could cause serious economic damage to the club.
Judge Vigotti scheduled a hearing to confirm or revoke the suspension order for August 16. The order to freeze Serie A preparations came a day after the federation's highest appeals board rejected Genoa's bid to overturn its relegation to C1, sparking dismay and anger among fans.
Earlier this month, the federation found Genoa guilty of bribing Venezia to let it win its final Serie B match of the season. The 3-2 victory would have guaranteed Genoa a return to Serie A after a 10-year absence. The confirmation of the relegation enraged Genoa fans who rampaged through the city on Monday night, setting fire to trash containers, overturning cars and battling with riot police.
The president of Liguria, the region around Genoa, condemned the violent reaction of the fans but accused the FIGC and its chairman, Franco Carraro, of mishandling the affair. "This business has been clumsily managed by irresponsible people," Claudio Burlando, a Genoa fan himself, said. "Those in charge of Italian soccer can't let people like this hand out sentences."
He said that the judges on the FIGC's disciplinary panel lacked legitimacy and accused Carraro of washing his hands of the affair. "We don't want Genoa to be acquitted if it is guilty, we just want it to be judged by people who are up to the job."
"The court decision taken Genoa is seriously damaging," Carraro said, adding that the federation had postponed this week's meeting to wait for the next chapter in the legal process.
Genoa Chairman Enrico Preziosi has accused the FIGC judges of deciding his team's fate even before the end of the official hearing. Genoa club officials said after the ruling was confirmed on Monday that they would turn to a civil court in a bid to win reinstatement to the top flight.
"We will continue our battle in the hope of finding judges who can distinguish between justice and prejudice," said the club's attorney Alfredo Biondi, an MP who is also House deputy speaker.
Genoa's archbishop, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, also expressed his disappointment over Monday's ruling, saying that the city and the club's fans did not deserve to see their team penalised in this way.
"The last few weeks leads to a conviction that we are a long way from real justice," he said.
On August 16 the same Genoa judge will decide whether to confirm or revoke his suspension order.
