Parma and Chievo Verona both face uncertainties over their involvement in Serie A next season after the Italian FA’s (FIGC) sports tribunal suggested punishments which would effectively see them relegated.
Both clubs have been subjects of separate investigations with Parma accused of attempted match-fixing for a game against La Spezia in Serie B last season, while Chievo face punishment for falsely accounting the transfers of 30 players with Cesena.
In the case of Parma, the prosecutor has suggested a deduction of two points for the 2017-18 season which, if confirmed, would see them drop behind Palermo in the final standings and consequently surrender promotion to the Sicilians.
Furthermore, their forward Emanuele Calaio — whose WhatsApp messages to Spezia players prior to their fixture at the end of last season which Parma won 2-0 to secure promotion have been viewed as an attempt to manipulate the game — will be banned for four years if the prosecutor’s suggested sentences are upheld.
As an alternative, Parma could start the upcoming Serie A season with a deduction of six points.
The sports court is yet to pass its final judgement, although history — such as the 2006 Calciopoli scandal — suggests they will show more leniency, thus not jeopardising Parma’s place in Serie A next season.
Chievo’s situation is more complex, on the other hand, with even a more lenient sentence potentially seeing them relegated to Serie B.
They finished only five points above the relegation zone last season and if the court decides to dock more than that number of points, Crotone would likely be reinstated to the top flight.
Chievo on Tuesday night issued a detailed statement distancing themselves from the accusations that they knowingly inflated the value of players exchanged with Cesena by up to 9,000 percent to gain a financial advantage in their accounts.
In a 12-page statement defending themselves, they claimed that the FIGC’s tribunal had miscalculated the figures and that the “correctness of the accounts of Chievo Verona” cannot be doubted, and that they “reject all accusations.”
A final judgement is due before the Serie A fixtures are announced next week, on July 26.
Ben Gladwell reports on Serie A, the Italian national team and the Bundesliga for ESPN FC, UEFA and the Press Association. @UEFAcomBenG.
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