By Andrew Warshaw
August 22 – Juventus coach Antonio Conte, who went through the whole of last season’s Serie A campaign unbeaten, today lost his appeal against match-fixing when his 10-month suspension was upheld.
Conte (pictured top), by far the highest profile figure to be sanctioned in a scandal that has rocked the sport in Italy, was banned by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for not reporting alleged corruption in two games involving his former club Siena during the 2010-2011 season.
Juventus, who kick off the defence of their title on Saturday (August 25), had stood by Conte – who appeared in person at Monday’s (August 20) tribunal – but it wasn’t enough to overturn or reduce the original verdict even though a second appeal is expected to be heard in September.
At the start of the month, Conte had submitted a plea bargain under which he was willing to accept a three-month suspension and a €200,000 (£16,000/$25,000) fine but the FIGC said it believed that was not a sufficient punishment for the alleged offence.
Conte, who spent 13 years as a Juve player from 1991 and made more than 400 appearances, won five league titles at the club, as well as winning 35 caps for Italy.
Conte’s assistant at Siena and Juventus, Angelo Alessio, had his original eight-month ban reduced to six on appeal.
But he, too, will be unable to take charge, with Juve placed in the hands of technical director Massimo Carrera.
The FIGC’s disciplinary tribunal has been investigating 13 clubs – mainly from the second division – six years after a similar scandal deprived Juventus of two titles.
In its latest rulings, the FIGC’s disciplinary tribunal also confirmed that Juventus players Leonardo Bonucci (pictured above) and Simone Pepe have been cleared but Lecce’s demotion to the third tier of Italian football upheld.
Grosseto, also dragged into the inquiry into illegal betting and match-fixing across the Italian game, had their demotion from Serie B reversed, however.
In addition, the three-year suspension of former Siena defender Emanuele Pesoli, who had chained himself to the gates of the FIGC for four days, was upheld.
Speaking yesterday, Conte had said he was confident that he would be cleared.
Instead he is now set to miss the entire campaign as Italy’s best-supported club struggle to hold on their newly acquired status on and off the field.
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