Silver lining for Italian mid-table clubs
It may have been one of the murkier days in the history of Italian football but there were at least some winners emerging from the wreckage of the Serie A match-fixing scandal.
The attempts of Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio to influence referees in the 2004-05 season have not only seen all but Milan relegated – the quartet have also lost their right to play in European competition in the forthcoming season.
While this may all but scupper any hopes of Italian clubs claiming honours in Europe in 2006-07, it does at least offer an opportunity for some of the lesser lights in the country’s top flight to flex their muscles in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup.
Today’s damning verdict means Italy’s entrants in the Champions League will be Inter Milan, Roma, Chievo and Palermo while Livorno, Parma and Empoli will compete in the UEFA Cup.
Inter were always going to be competing in the premier European competition but for the other six teams, the verdict has been highly beneficial.
Roma lost out to Fiorentina in the race for the fourth and final Champions League place but the club from the capital will be back in a competition they believe they belong in.
The fact they broke the Serie A record for successive victories shows that, on form, they have the squad that could worry some of the leading teams in the competition. Playmaker and inspiration Francesco Totti will once again be their totem.
For the other five, it will be something of a trip into the unknown.
Chievo and Palermo will be expected to struggle in the Champions League.
The one and only time Chievo dipped their toe in European waters came in the 2002-03 season, when they were knocked of the UEFA Cup by Red Star Belgrade in the first round.
The Gialloblu have not returned since, meaning their pedigree will be called into question, and they have not signed any leading players this summer.
Franco Semioli, their talented right winger, has been strongly linked with Roma but the prospect of Champions League football may persuade him to stay.
Palermo, like Chievo, have only one season of UEFA Cup football to their name, that coming last term when they reached the last 16 before eventually losing to Schalke.
World Cup winner Fabio Grosso, the adventurous Italy left-back, has left for Inter this summer but Francesco Guidolin still has a strong squad at his disposal and he may be able to entice players to the club ahead of the new season.
Of the three UEFA Cup entrants, Parma are the most famous. Their recent financial difficulties have been well documented and although they are not completely free of trouble, they look to be getting their finances in order.
A good run in Europe will help their cause no end.
Livorno and Empoli will be real long shots in the competition. Neither side have any real stars, although each has a striker (Cristiano Lucarelli for Livorno and Francesco Tavano for Empoli) with good scoring records.
The danger is the clubs may be side-tracked by their European commitments, which could in turn endanger their respective Serie A campaigns.
