Story ProgressBack to home
FIFA threatens to ban all Italian clubs
FIFA could ban Italy and all Italian clubs from international competition if Juventus goes to an administrative court to challenge sanctions imposed on it.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 10:36 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Geneva:
FIFA could ban world champion Italy and all Italian clubs from international competition if Juventus goes to an administrative court to challenge the sanctions it received in the country's match-fixing scandal. FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said on Wednesday that forcing a decision before a state court would interfere with the autonomy of the soccer world and undermine the sport's arbitration system. In a letter sent by president Sepp Blatter to the Italian federation on Tuesday, FIFA said it was prepared to ban all Italian clubs - as well as the national team - from international soccer if Juventus goes ahead with its legal action. "The president referred the Italian federation to Article 61, which states that the decisions of sports courts may not be brought before an administrative court. It also stipulates that national federations must have such an article within their statute books," FIFA said. Juventus announced after a board meeting on Monday that it planned to appeal to an administrative court in Rome, although it has not formally taken such a step. "If Juventus go before an administrative court, then FIFA pass the matter to its emergency committee," Herren said. "The committee wouldn't even have to meet in person. It (the suspension of all Italian teams) could happen very quickly." A suspension, if it were imposed, would be indefinite and could stop the national team from taking part in the qualifying competition for the 2008 European Championship. In the letter, FIFA gave FIGC until Wednesday to explain how it would stop Juventus from going ahead with the appeals. The Italian soccer federation responded by saying it is prepared to open further disciplinary proceedings against Juventus if the club appeals its sentence to an ordinary court, beyond sports jurisdiction. Herren said that in an "ideal situation, the Italian federation will solve this problem within its own sports courts." A ruling on July 14 by the FIGC stripped Juventus of its last two Serie A titles and relegated the Turin powerhouse to the second division. A sports appeals court on July 25 reduced Juve's point penalty from 30 to 17. The club argues that the punishment it received was unduly harsh, and that it lost millions of euros as a result. Three other Italian clubs involved in the match-fixing scandal received point penalties, but were not relegated. (AP)Topics mentioned in this article
Football France Mexico South Africa Republic of Ireland FIFA
Get the Latest IPL 2024 Updates, check out IPL 2024 schedules and IPL points table at NDTV Sports.Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more sports updates. You can also download the NDTV Cricket app for Android or iOS.