Aftermath of the Serie A Scandal: Let the Firesale begin
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by user Thecrookedcap
While the recently relegated Juventus, Fiorentina, and Lazio have appealed their ruling, the likelihood of ridding themselves of punishment is incredibly slim. That means a devastating blow the finances of these clubs.
The trip to Serie B will cost the clubs a piece of the revenue pie that comes from being part of Serie A, as well as the financial rewards that stem from making the late rounds of Champions League, which Juventus had a great shot to do. This might mean the biggest firesale this side of a Florida Marlins World Series championship.
The rumors are already out there for a number of star players: Juventus' Lilian Thuram is already looking Spainward towards Barcelona for next season. Undoubtedly the biggest beneficiaries of this punishment will be the super-rich European squads, who not only lose competition in Juventus but may take pieces of the club with it: teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Chelsea stand to gain.
But perhaps the most intriguing thing about the whole thing is that one of the clubs most likely to prosper from the whole thing is being punished too. AC Milan, who managed to stave off relegation with just a merely loss of Champions League, has all the same resources as the megarich squads of England and Spain. But where they can stand to gain most is through the purchase of native Italian players, like Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon. Buffon has been targeted by Arsenal, but has stated that he wants to stay in his native land.
It's going to be really interested to see how many players the relegated teams can hold onto. Will it be a crippling blow that takes a decade to recover from, or will it be status quo by 2008?
Date
Tue 07/18/06, 11:47 am EST
