Blatter backtracks on Italy slur

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has backtracked on his latest comments by insisting that Italy deserved to win the World Cup this summer.

Blatter caused angry reactions in Italy after stating that he wanted to apologise to Australian fans, as he believed the Socceroos should have gone into the quarter-finals in place of Italy.

“The Italian national team showed us all that they are capable of playing excellent football and proved their superior technical qualities,” said the Swiss official on Monday.

“I only meant to give the Socceroos the credit they deserved, because they played a good match and the lack of experience was probably one of the reasons which didn’t allow them to go to the extra time.”

The director of SBS television, who aired the incriminated interview, confirmed that Blatter never stated that Italy had ‘stolen’ the World Cup.

He added that there was no discussion on the fact that the penalty awarded by Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo to the Azzurri for the challenge on Fabio Grosso was a mistake.

Azzurri legends Gigi Riva and Marco Tardelli had reacted furiously to Blatter, demanding respect for the World Cup winners, while former coach Marcello Lippi had preferred to not make any comments.

Serie A Wk 9: Review

Inter take seven-goal derby thriller.

Saturday 28 October
Milan 3-4 Inter
Inter won the first Derby della Madonnina of the season to remain at the top of Serie A with a dramatic 4-3 win over city rivals Milan at the San Siro. Goals from Hernan Crespo and Dejan Stankovic gave the Nerazzurri a comfortable half-time advantage. Just two minutes had gone in the second half when Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the 'away' team three ahead, but Milan didn't lie down and Clarence Seedorf brought them back into the game three minutes later. Inter's three-goal advantage was restored by Marco Materazzi, however the Inter defender received a second yellow card for his illegal celebration and the 10 men were made to sweat when Alberto Gilardino once again reduced the arrears with 15 minutes remaining. Kaka set up a grandstand finish with a goal in stoppage time, but Roberto Mancini's side held on for the points which take them 14 points clear from their Milan rivals.

Udinese 0-1 Roma
Roma ended their three-game run without victory by securing a narrow 1-0 win over 10-man Udinese. Defender Matteo Ferrari was the hero for Luciano Spalletti's team, netting a 66th-minute winner as the hosts had Sulley Muntari sent off for a second offence shortly after to make their task even harder. The capital club remain four points behind Serie A leaders Inter and Palermo.

Sunday 29 October
Fiorentina 2-3 Palermo
A late goal from inspired Palermo striker Carvalho Amauri sunk Fiorentina on Sunday afternoon. Amauri struck his second goal of the game with one minute remaining to make sure the Sicilians secured three points at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. The Brazilian forward had previously seen his 80th-minute goal cancelled out by Adrian Mutu seven minutes later. The Sicilian giants had been unlucky in the opening half with Andrea Barzagli's own goal on the half-hour mark allowing Fiorentina to level the score after David Di Michele had given the visitors an early lead. The result means that Palermo still lead the Serie A standings alongside Inter. As for Fiorentina, they had hoped for a better outcome considering the difficult week the club had. The Viola were only given four points back from the Italian Olympic Committee following their appeal on the match-fixing scandal.

Lazio 0-0 Reggina
Lazio failed to win for their fourth consecutive game as Reggina scrapped for a scoreless draw at the Stadio Olimpico. Despite their disappointing performances of late, Lazio went into the game with renewed confidence having climbed out of the drop zone after success in their appeal against the match-fixing verdict. The Romans were given back eight points by the Italian Olympic Committee on Friday which had seen them climb to 13th in the standings with seven points. But on Sunday they could not get past Ivan Pelizzoli as the Reggina goalkeeper pulled off a string of saves to deny the Romans. The visitors also had their share of chances but failed to beat veteran goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi. The Southerners ended the game with 10 men after Cristian Ledesma was sent off shortly before the final whistle for a second bookable offence. The result is of little use to Reggina, who remain bottom in the table, seven points from safety.

Parma 3-1 Atalanta
Parma got off to a flying start but needed two goals in the closing stages to secure victory over Serie A's surprise package Atalanta. Parma were gifted the lead in the first minute when Igor Budan capitalised on a defensive mix-up to score, but they failed to build on it and Cristiano Doni's 58th minute goal levelled the game. With 20 minutes to go, Parma re-took the lead through Vincenzo Grilla's penalty, and - after Simone Loria saw red seven minutes from time - Zlatan Muslimovic completed the scoring with an 87th minute goal.

Cagliari 1-0 Sampdoria
Daniele Conti blasted home on the stroke of half time against Sampdoria to give Cagliari their long-awaited first win of the season. The drought had gone on for eight games and having watched his side fail to hold onto a two-goal lead in the 3-3 draw with Atalanta on Wednesday, coach Marco Giampaolo demanded a win from his team ahead of this fixture. And he got it when Conti swerved his 20-yard freekick into the net with the final act of the half. The result extends Cagliari's unbeaten run to seven games and sees Giampaolo's side climb above Milan to 12th in Serie A. Sampdoria, meanwhile, slip two places to ninth after failing to replicate the form which saw them trump Lazio in midweek.

Messina 2-1 Chievo
Messina gave new Chievo boss Luigi Del Neri another reality check with a last-gasp 2-1 victory at the Stadio San Filippo to leave the away side still searching for their first win of the season. Del Neri has had three games in charge of the Flying Donkeys on his return to the club he guided to promotion five years ago, but he has been unable to reverse the terrible run on form that they have started the season with. The Verona based club have now picked up just two points from their opening nine games of the season, and lie just three places off the foot of the table in stark contrast to their lofty finish last season. Simone Tiribocchi did give the visitors a 1-0 lead midway through the first-half, but Christian Rigano equalised in first-half stoppage time with his seventh goal of the campaign. And just when the clash looked to be heading for draw, Sergio Floccari popped up to net a dramatic winner three minutes into second-half injury time. The result brings an end to Messina's five match winless streak and moves Bruno Giordano's side further away from the drop zone.

Ascoli 0-1 Siena
A late goal from Paul Codrea earned Siena three points at the expense of 10-man Ascoli and moved Mario Beretta's men up to fourth in the Serie A standings. Despite the first-half dismissal of Simone Pesce, Ascoli looked to be heading for an unlikely share of the spoils until Codrea finally breached the home defence four minutes from time. A late red card for Daniele Corvia tarnished Siena's achievements, but it came too late for Ascoli as the visitors secured their fourth victory of the season.

Catania 1-1 Torino
Torino continue to struggle under Alberto Zaccheroni and, in bringing back a point from an 1-1 draw away to Catania, the much-travelled coach has got away with the bare minimum from this meeting between promoted clubs. When Gionatha Spinesi gave the Sicilians the lead from the penalty spot after 20 minutes, it looked like Zaccheroni was facing another defeat that would have inevitably made his job prospects look even bleaker. Even after Giuseppe Mascara was dismissed early in the second half, Catania still looked good for all three points until Ivan Franceschini bagged a late leveller for Toro. The Turin club still have only one victory under their belts which, considering the cash spent in the summer, is not up to standard. The game was played behind closed doors at a neutral venue, Bari's Stadio San Nicola, following recent crowd trouble at Catania's home ground.

Livorno 0-0 Empoli
Livorno and Empoli shared the spoils in a goalless Tuscan derby in the evening match to maintain the hosts' unbeaten run at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. The Amaranto, humiliated 4-1 at the San Siro by Serie A leaders Inter on Wednesday, put in a better performance but lacked the incisive cutting edge to break down Empoli's well-organised defence.

All of this weekend's games started with the teams entering the field sporting white t-shirts saying: "Let Gabriele Torsello go free" - 'Liberate Gabriele Torsello', the Italian photo journalist living in London and allegedly kidnapped last Thursday in South Afghanistan.

Blatter apologises for Italy win

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has further infuriated Italian fans by apologising to Australia for the Azzurri’s World Cup victory.

The second round match was goalless and heading for extra time following Marco Materazzi’s controversial straight red card when Fabio Grosso fell over a Lucas Neill challenge. Francesco Totti stepped up to convert the stoppage-time penalty with the last kick of the game on June 26 and send Italy on towards their eventual Final triumph.

Australian supporters were angry at the decision by Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo and the FIFA President stepped out of his official role to make a bizarre announcement.

“I agree with them and I would like to apologise to our fans in Australia,” said Blatter. “The Socceroos should have gone into the quarter-finals in place of Italy, because they were up to beating Italy.”

The Azzurri went unbeaten throughout the entire tournament, notching up four wins and two draws in the 90 minutes – seeing off Germany 2-0 in extra time and beating France on penalties in the Final.

Blatter had already caused controversy with his comments after the July 9 Berlin match by stating it was “a tragedy” to see the World Cup assigned on a shoot-out.

This was the second time the trophy had been decided this way, as in 1994 Italy lost to Brazil in Pasadena.

The FIFA President also failed to hand over the World Cup to Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro. He was in the stands, but UEFA President Lennart Johansson took these duties instead. It has never been clarified why the change was made.

"I think the referees were not at their best," continued Blatter. "I think they were too well prepared or not looked after the right way. They were in a military camp situation. And I think there was too much cheating on the players' side.”

Yet Italy also felt aggrieved by the refereeing in the Australia match, as Medina Cantalejo showed Materazzi a straight red card for a late, but by no means violent, tackle on midfielder Mark Bresciano.

The President had no time to apologise for the Azzurri's exit at the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan...

Serie B Wk 9: Del Boy's Bicentennial

Goal number 200 for Del Piero.

Friday 27 October
Brescia 1-0 Modena
Brescia got back on track over a month since their last victory by beating fellow promotion hopefuls Modena. It was a tight game and the Rondinelle had several early chances, but the Canarini were more dangerous upfront with a Stankevicius goalline clearance keeping out Colacone. It was a controversial penalty that decided the match, as Possanzini was brought down – probably outside the area – for Hamsyk to convert the penalty. Frey had a good opportunity to equalise late on, but Brescia take the points.

Saturday 28 October
Juventus 1-0 Frosinone
The Bianconeri set foot on the pitch just hours after the CONI Arbitration reduced their 17-point penalty to just nine and they were flung back into the race for automatic promotion. Valeri Bojinov was given a rare start and brought a great early save out of Zappino with a low drive before his goal was disallowed for a debatable David Trezeguet offside position.

Pavel Nedved’s strike was also parried, but Frosinone had chances too with Gianluigi Buffon denying Di Venanzio’s left-foot screamer and a Lodi counter-attack. Trezeguet sprung the offside trap to test Zappino again after the break and fired wide following Ischia’s error.

Juve were struggling and threw on Del Piero, who finally managed to celebrate his 200th goal for the club. Goalkeeper Zappino rushed off his line and Nedved thumped the upright, but Pinturicchio was ready to pounce on the loose ball. It would’ve been goal number 201 when his dummy left the shot-stopper for dead, but a goalline clearance kept him out.

Yet Frosinone, who were in Serie D in 2001, nearly snatched a point late on with Buffon flapping away a dangerous Castillo cross.

Albinoleffe 1-0 Napoli
Napoli’s six-match unbeaten run was ended in Bergamo with this surprise defeat. Albinoleffe had already gone close early on with Dal Canto’s curling left-foot strike clipping the upright. Calaio’s cross found Bucchi unmarked in the centre only for the striker to nod wide with only the goalkeeper to beat. On the stroke of half-time, Garics brought down Cellini and the Albinoleffe man got back up to convert the cast-iron penalty. There was another blow with a booking for Paolo Cannavaro, who’ll be suspended for next Monday’s showdown with Juventus. Albinoleffe ended the match in 10 men for Innocenti’s reaction foul on Domizzi, but Napoli still couldn’t find a way through.

Bologna 2-1 Vicenza
Bologna closed up on the leaders with another confident victory, although it was a fiery match with two dismissals. Bellucci slammed in a fantastic free kick from 25 metres that flew straight into the top corner, his third goal in as many games. He had another shot saved by Zancope’ before Marazzina turned in Bologna’s second from a Bellucci assist. Meghni and Helguera both saw red before the break for a scuffle in which the Frenchman – often compared to Zinedine Zidane in his home country – headbutted his opponent. Manfredini’s strike was deflected on to the woodwork for a potential third and Vicenza got back into it when Costa brought down Schwoch for a penalty, but it wasn’t enough to earn a point.

Cesena 2-0 Arezzo
Cesena continue their march on the top spots, but Arezzo are even more rooted to the foot of the table. Pelle took advantage of Bressan’s dreadful goalkeeping error after just three minutes and there could well have been more before Pestrin’s strike from the edge of the area. The pressure turns up on Arezzo Coach Antonio Conte.

Crotone 0-2 Rimini
Rimini surprisingly leap up to second place with this victory, but were hit by a serious injury to young talent Barusso. Baccin’s long-range strike broke the deadlock and Crotone hit the woodwork before Alioui’s dismissal. Valiani completed the scoring in stoppages, but Barusso was stretchered off with a fractured tibia.

Lecce 2-2 Triestina
Lecce fall further down the standings with another entertaining match with a disappointing result at the end of it. Vives hit the woodwork in the opening minute and Babu did even better soon after with a left-foot strike. However, Triestina fought back immediately to turn the game around Mignani nodding in Allegretti’s free kick and an Eliakwu solo effort. Babu’s chip was over and Vives’ right-foot finish equalised before the break. Lecce’s disciplinary record has been poor this season and goalkeeper Benussi was sent off for handling outside the area. Vives still nearly won it for the home side with a curling shot before Lima’s dismissal for a late tackle on Valdes.

Piacenza 2-1 Bari
Piacenza fought back from an early goal to get all three points from high-flying Bari. Vantaggiato had given the visitors the lead almost immediately with a fierce right-foot strike from distance. Piace were disappointing in the first half, but came out fighting for the second and Rantier’s header equalised before Padalino’s winning drive.

Spezia 2-2 Pescara
The result was in the balance until the final whistle at the Stadio Picco. Carozza curled a free kick into the top corner to give Pescara the lead and Guidetti equalised on the hour mark with a precise lob. Confalone’s goalline clearance kept the two teams level ahead of a chaotic final few minutes. Spezia thought they’d won it with Scarlato, but deep into stoppages Antonelli slammed in from the edge of the area to secure a point.

Treviso 1-1 Mantova
Mantova needed an own goal to earn a share of the spoils at the Stadio Tenni. The visitors failed to clear effectively and Beghetto eventually managed to turn in the loose ball from close range. However, it didn’t last long, as Lorenzi accidentally redirected Tarana’s swerving cross into his own net. Baseggio almost won it for Treviso in the second half with a piledriver that thumped the woodwork.

Monday 30 October
Verona 1-1 Genoa
Serie B leaders Genoa were denied another three points when a late Verona strike cost them victory in the Monday night game. It had looked as if the port club would take a 1-0 win until Greco levelled to see the Rossblu’s lead at the top of the table reduced to two points following Rimini’s triumph at Crotone. Although Verona arguably had the better of the opening period, Genoa took the lead after former Verona favourite Adailton played in Rossi who made no mistake. The away side seemed to be in control of the second half, but two separate Fabiano misses cost them dearly as Greco tapped in from close range after a Perticone cross on 83 minutes.


Source: C4 Football Italia

Serie A Wk 8: Review

Totti missed a crucial penalty.

Wesnesday 25 October
Inter 4-1 Livorno
Zlatan Ibrahimovic ended his nine-match goalscoring drought as Internazionale stormed to the top of Serie A with a four goal thumping of high-flying Livorno on Wednesday evening. It was a result rarely in doubt, unlike Ibrahimovic's form, and looked likely from the second minute when Marc Pfertzel deflected Alvaro Recoba's cross into his own net. And, as if to answer coach Roberto Mancini's calls for a better performance from his men, the hosts were two up within the opening 15 minutes, Marco Materazzi heading past Marco Amelia. Livorno pulled one back on 70 minutes through Cristiano Lucarelli, but the champions re-established their two goal cushion when Ibrahimovic, urged by his coach to locate his scoring touch, blasted home a minute later. Julio Cruz then added a fourth with 13 minutes remaining to send the Nerazzurri to the top of the table on goal difference.

Palermo 2-1 Messina
Palermo's excellent start to the season continued with a comeback victory over fellow Sicilians Messina. Christian Rigano put the visitors from the east of the island in the lead after six minutes. However, Cristian Zaccardo equalised before David Di Michele's penalty sealed victory for the Rosaneri, who stay level on points at the top of Serie A with Inter ahead of Sunday's massive clash at Fiorentina.

Chievo 0-1 Milan
Marek Jankulovski's first-half strike gave AC Milan a narrow victory over Chievo in Verona. The Rossoneri midfielder fired past goalkeeper Vincenzo Sicignano as his team won for the first time in five league games. The result will be a boost ahead of this weekend's Milan derby against Inter, especially after the 2-0 home defeat against Palermo at the weekend.

Roma 2-2 Ascoli
Philippe Mexes equalised one minute from time as title-chasing Roma salvaged a point against Ascoli at the Stadio Olimpico. Mexes struck just when Ascoli thought they had secured their first victory of the season to cancel out Sasa Bjelanovic's 65th-minute effort. Roma playmaker Francesco Totti had already had a chance to equalise but his penalty kick was superbly saved by goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca. Earlier, former Roma striker Marco Delvecchio opened the scoring midway through the first half for the visitors before Giallorossi captain Totti's free-kick made it 1-1 shortly after the re-start.

Torino 0-1 Fiorentina
Fiorentina overcame the absence of top scorer Luca Toni to secure a narrow victory over Torino. Martin Jorgensen provided the only goal of the game in the 13th minute to silence the Stadio Olimpico and make sure the Viola clinched their fourth win in a row. The triumph means that the visitors are now six points adrift of Chievo, who occupy the final position of safety.

Sampdoria 2-0 Lazio
Sampdoria recovered from Sunday's 3-2 defeat to Atalanta to beat nine-man Lazio at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Fabio Quagliarella's two goals were not enough in Bergamo but his opener in the 53rd minute set Samp on the way against the Romans. The home side had three appeals for a penalty and were finally rewarded with a spot-kick in the 75th minute, and Sergio Volpi made sure of the win by tucking the ball home. Lazio had both Guglielmo Stendardo and Goran Pandev sent off and Samp easily defended a two-goal lead - something they failed to do against Atalanta. Furthermore, they kept a clean sheet for the first time all season as they picked up three points.

Atalanta 3-3 Cagliari
High-flying Atalanta came back from two goals down against Cagliari to snatch a point in a thrilling clash at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia. Defender Simone Loria had initially given the home side the lead after only four minutes, only for Paolo Bianco to equalise almost straight away. Antonio D'Agostino celebrated his recall to the starting line-up by giving the away side a half-time lead. David Suazo then added a third for the visitors from the penalty spot after the break, but goals from Nicola Ventola and Christiano Doni shattered the Rossoblu's dreams of a first league win of the season.

Empoli 1-1 Udinese
Udinese lost some ground on the Serie A leaders after they were held by a determined Empoli. Udinese coach Giovanni Galeone has insisted his team can finish fourth at least in Serie A and they still occupy that spot despite losing two points. When Christian Obodo gave them a second-half lead it looked as though they might take all three points, but Davide Matteini equalised just four minutes later for the team from Tuscany. In truth, only an excellent goalkeeping performance by Udinese's Morgan De Sanctis prevented Empoli from completing the job.

Reggina 3-2 Parma
Parma's mini-revival was brought to an abrupt halt as bottom club Reggina continued their fine home form to take another step towards putting themselves back in the black. In an open game at the Stadio Oreste Granillo, it was the hosts who took the lead through Nicola Amoruso but Igor Budan equalised five minutes later. Parma's Matteo Contini was dismissed after 72 minutes, leaving Rolando Bianchi and Amoruso to take advantage soon after. But Andrea Gasbarroni pulled one back five minutes from time and Giacomo Tedesco also saw red to ensure a nervy finish for the hosts.

Siena 1-1 Catania
A last-gasp goal from substitute Giorgio Corona earned Catania a share of the spoils in Siena and denied the home side a top-four place in Serie A. Mario Beretta's men have lost just once so far this season and looked to be heading for another three points when Mario Frick opened the scoring just after the interval. But Corona spoiled the party with an equaliser three minutes into injury time to keep the newly-promoted Sicilians well placed in mid-table.

Serie A attendances drop again

Despite Italy's World Cup triumph, fewer and fewer fans are attending Serie A matches, according to a study conducted by the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

Average gates in Italy's top flight have crashed to just 19,511 this season, the ninth consecutive year that has witnessed a fall.

Back in 1998, the average attendance figure was as high as 31,161, but a combination of factors over the past decade has seen the numbers slump by 11,650 over an eight-year period.

League officials were hoping that the Azzurri's win in Germany over the summer would give the figures a much-needed boost this year, but the Calciopoli scandal, and the subsequent demotion of Juventus to Serie B, seems to have put people off.

Indeed, the relegation of the Old Lady - one of the world's most popular clubs - explains much for the decline in the top flight. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Serie B attendance figures have jumped 20.3%.

But the general trend over the past ten years cannot be passed off so easily. Increased levels of violence at matches, old and decrepit stadiums, expensive ticket prices and the quality of television coverage in Italy have all contributed to fans staying away.

Faced with a choice between watching a match, or several at the same time - on television in the comfort of their own homes and standing on the terraces with no cover from inclement weather whilst running the risk of attack from opposing fans, Serie A supporters are clearly in no doubt where they would rather be.

The study said that there was no sign of a similar fall in crowds in other major European leagues with attendances actually increasing in Spain and England.

The falling gates could also be blamed on the changing face of Italian football, more and more smaller clubs are now holding their own in the top flight, whilst a number of more traditional powerhouses - Genoa, Napoli, Verona and Bologna for example - find themselves languishing in Serie B.

Empoli, one of Serie A's smaller teams, had an average gate of just 6,725 last season, whilst Chievo pulled in 8,589 and Siena 9,874.

Gazzetta dello Sport report >>>

Serie B Fixture changes

The long-awaited Serie B showdown between Napoli and Juventus at the Stadio San Paolo has been moved to Monday November 6.

The battle of the fallen giants was the date all the fans – and neutrals – wanted to see and it has been switched to an evening kick-off.

Week 10 will conclude with the big game on Monday November 6, but it’s believed the Napoli hierarchy weren’t happy with this decision.

“We are in a Championship format made of early and late matches decided by the Lega Calcio. All the teams can do is adapt,” commented director Pierpaolo Marino.

Juventus are more content with the switch, as they’ll have an extra two days of rest.

Their rescheduled Serie B tie with Brescia, moved due to the number of players away on international duty, will be played on Wednesday November 1.

Meanwhile, the full changes to the Serie B calendar for the rest of 2006 have been announced. All kick-off times listed are UK time (+1 Italy/CET).

Serie B Round 9:
Friday 27 October
Brescia v Modena (19:45)

Saturday 28 October
9 Matches (15:00)

Monday 30 October
Verona v Genoa (19:45)


Serie B Round 6:
Wednesday 1 November
Frosinone v Lecce (14:00)
Cesena v Triestina (16:30)
Juventus v Brescia (16:30)


Serie B Round 10:
Friday 3 November
Modena v Piacenza (19:45)

Saturday 4 November
9 Matches (15:00)

Monday 6 November
Napoli v Juventus (20:00)


Serie B Round 11:
Friday 10 November
Treviso v Rimini (19:45)

Saturday 11 November
9 Matches (15:00)

Monday 13 November
Bari v Napoli (19:45)


Serie B Round 12:
Friday 17 November
Triestina v Pescara (19:45)

Saturday 18 November
9 Matches (15:00)

Monday 20 November
Mantova v Piacenza (19:45)


Serie B Round 13:
Friday 24 November
Bologna v Genoa (19:45)

Saturday 25 November
9 Matches (15:00)

Monday 27 November
Frosinone v Mantova (19:45)


Serie B Round 14:
Friday 1 December
Genoa v Juventus (19:45)

Saturday 2 December
9 Matches (15:00)

Monday 4 December
Lecce v Brescia (19:45)


Serie B Round 15:
Friday 8 December
Spezia v Crotone (19:45)

Saturday 9 December
9 Matches (15:00)

Monday 11 December
Cesena v Napoli (19:45)


Serie B Round 16:
Friday 15 December
Crotone v Pescara (18:00)
Juventus v Cesena (20:00)

Saturday 16 December
9 Matches (15:00)


Serie B Round 17:
Tuesday 19 December
11 Matches (19:30)


Serie B Round 18:
Friday 22 December
11 Matches (19:30)


Fixture Changes: Serie A Round 6-19 & Serie B Round 6-9

Lega Calcio elections

The elections for the new Lega Calcio council have given roles to Inter’s Massimo Moratti and Atalanta President Ivan Ruggeri.

The ‘union’ of Serie A clubs needed two new faces after Sampdoria’s Riccardo Garrone resigned in protest at the actions of new Lega President Antonio Matarrese, while Rosella Sensi of Roma was promoted to vice-President.

However, it was not an easy task, as it took 11 different voting rounds for Moratti to earn his place. The Nerazzurri patron failed to capture the necessary 15 votes, but in the end the deadline was lowered to 13 and he was able to get in.

The other new arrival, President Ruggeri, managed to pick up his required quota at the sixth attempt.

Other initial candidates who later pulled out of the running were Catania director Pietro Lomonaco, Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini, Torino owner Urbano Cairo and Udinese board member Campoccia.

“I took a step back to allow the votes to reach Moratti,” explained Cairo. “It was the right solution, because he has been in football for a long time and took over the place that had belonged to Giacinto Facchetti.”

Moratti recently took the Inter Presidency back after the tragic death of Facchetti from cancer.

The Serie B Lega Calcio elections were much less fractious, as Juventus chief Giovanni Cobolli Gigli and Bologna’s Alfredo Cazzola were voted in.

Serie A Wk 7: Review

Palermo stun Milan to go top.

Saturday 21 October
Messina 2-2 Empoli
Injury-hit Empoli twice came from behind to claim a creditable 2-2 draw at Messina on Saturday. Christian Rigano put Messina ahead in just the ninth minute but Luca Saudati's 32nd minute strike sent the sides in level at half-time and, though Ogasawara re-established the lead five minutes after the break, Antonio Busce earned his side a battling point with a 64th minute equaliser. Both sides are now on nine points after seven rounds of the season.

Cagliari 0-0 Torino
Christian Abbiati was the hero for Torino as he produced a number of fine saves to hold Cagliari to a goalless draw. Torino are still without a win on the road since March 2002 and their lack of adventure throughout the match at the sparsely populated Stadio Sant'Elia suggests that woeful run could go on for some time. After a lethargic first half, the tempo picked up in the second half and Abbiati proved to be Torino's match-saver as the hosts pressed for the breakthrough they probably merited. The points, then, were shared, as they have been in five of Cagliari's seven Serie A matches this season and, while they certainly had the chances to claim all three, both sides did little to suggest they will not be among the strugglers this season.

Sunday 22 October
Udinese 0-0 Inter
Serie A leaders Inter maintained their unbeaten record with a battling goalless draw against Udinese. Both sides created a number of chances in an entertaining encounter at the Stadio Friuli with Inter's Zlatan Ibrahimovic coming closest to securing the victory in the second half. The point was enough to keep Inter joint top while Udinese moved up to third place and also extended their unbeaten run in the league to six games.

Milan 0-2 Palermo
Palermo stunned Milan 2-0 at the San Siro on Sunday evening to join Inter at the top of Serie A. Mark Bresciano's goal early in the second-half put the visitors from Sicily in front, and after the hosts twice hit the wordwork, Palermo doubled their lead with 15 minutes remaining when Amauri beat goalkeeper Nelson Dida.

Roma 1-1 Chievo
Francesco Totti scored his first Serie A goal of the season to earn Roma a point against Chievo. Totti struck shortly after the hour mark to cancel out Sergio Pellissier's first-half effort. But neither side were happy with the result. Roma missed the chance to join Inter at the top of the table while it left the Flying Donkeys still winless after seven games.

Fiorentina 3-0 Reggina
Reggina continued their poor record at the Stadio Artemio Franchi as they slumped to a heavy 3-0 defeat against Fiorentina. Goals by Adrian Mutu, Mario Alberto Santana and Manuele Blasi were enough for the Tuscan outfit to see off Walter Mazzarri's men, who have never won a league game in Florence. The win by Fiorentina moved them off the bottom of Serie A for the first time this season, albeit on goal difference, as they moved to minus seven points on the back of three successive wins. The Viola began the campaign with a 19-point deficit following their involvement in the match-fixing scandal, while the visitors, also implicated in the pre-season debacle, started the season with a 15-point penalty.

Catania 3-1 Lazio
An inspired Catania returned to winning ways on with a convincing 3-1 triumph over a toothless Lazio side. Giuseppe Colucci opened the scoring for the Sicilians in the 36th minute before Gionatha Spinesi doubled his team's lead on the stroke of half-time. Colucci scored his second shortly after the re-start and although Tommaso Rocchi reduced the deficit three minutes later, it failed to inspire the Romans. The showdown was played at Lecce's Stadio Via Del Mare behind closed doors as punishment for Catania because of misbehaviour by their supporters in the Sicilian derby games against Palermo and Messina earlier this season.

Atalanta 3-2 Sampdoria
Atalanta capped a glorious comeback with a last-gasp winner against Sampdoria to mark the start of their centenary celebrations in spectacular fashion. It did not look good for the hosts as they got off to the worst possible start, going 2-0 down within 11 minutes thanks to a double from Fabio Quagliarella. But Cristiano Doni converted two penalties to bring them level and Riccardo Zampagna struck one minute from time to seal a thrilling 3-2 win.

Livorno 0-0 Siena
Livorno and Siena shared a 0-0 draw in their Tuscan derby - a result which left the visitors no better off than they were at the start of the week. Siena had a point deducted for missing a tax deadline in midweek and Sunday's draw means they are now back on the same points tally they had before that decision. Both sides had goals disallowed in the closing quarter of the match, Mario Frick the unlucky man for Siena while Livorno's Cristiano Lucarelli was denied yet another goal for the club he has served so well.

Parma 1-0 Ascoli
Parma registered their first Serie A win of the season with a narrow 1-0 victory over fellow strugglers Ascoli at the Stadio Ennio Tardini. Both sides were looking for their first three points of the season going into the game, but the hosts ended up victorious thanks to an Igor Budan strike in the 10th minute. The result means that Parma now leapfrog Ascoli into 15th place in Serie A, with Attilio Tesser's side slipping ever nearer to the relegation zone.

Serie B Wk 8: Juve wipe out 17-point penalty

Zanetti lifts 10-man Juve.

Friday 20 October
Rimini 2-0 Brescia
Brescia fell to their second consecutive defeat, as Rimini propel themselves into the promotion race, going three points clear of the Rondinelle. Jeda was on fine form and tested the goalkeeper with an overhead kick before Mannini thumped the woodwork for the visitors. Rimini eventually broke Brescia in the space of six minutes, as Jeda’s left-foot strike from the edge of the box was followed by Barusso firing under the bar.

Saturday 21 October
Triestina 0-1 Juventus
Juventus had Giorgio Chiellini sent off and thanked Gigi Buffon for some crucial saves, as they register their sixth straight win to wipe out the 17-point Calciopoli penalty.

Triestina had a very strong start and put the Bianconeri under pressure, but it was Cristiano Zanetti who broke through after 33 minutes with a low right-foot strike on Pavel Nedved’s cross. The home side had a Piovaccari goal controversially disallowed following Gigi Buffon’s fine save on Mignani’s header, while the Juventus goalkeeper was again tested by Kyriazis and Mattia Graffiedi.

David Trezeguet was denied by Rossi’s outstretched foot on the counter-attack, but Triestina thought they’d found a way back into the match when Giorgio Chiellini picked up a second yellow card for hacking down Kalambay. The Bianconeri battened down the hatches and held out, particularly after a harsh straight red card for Marchini’s tackle on Nedved. Kalambay still threatened an equaliser with a volley that struck the side-netting in the final minutes and Francesco Ruopolo wasted a couple of golden opportunities.

Arezzo 1-1 Spezia
Arezzo are still awaiting their first win of the season after the spoils were shared in this game of two penalties. There was little action in the first half as both sides struggled to play on a severely waterlogged pitch, but the rain stopped during the interval and the game came to life. The home side went close as a Bondi header grazed the post and Spezia ‘keeper Santoni did well to save from Floro Flores before they were awarded a controversial penalty. Young striker Rej Volpato saw his spot-kick saved by Santoni, but was able to tap in the rebound to give Arezzo the lead and end the Tuscan side’s run of over 500 minutes without a goal. However, Spezia levelled with a debatable penalty of their own, which Saverino coolly converted, and grabbed a crucial point to further increase the pressure on Arezzo boss Antonio Conte.

Bari 2-0 Treviso
Bari’s superb start to the campaign continues with victory over Treviso at the Stadio San Nicola. A bright start to the match saw ex-Lazio hitman Russotto force a great stop from Bari ‘keeper Gillet in the third minute and Scaglia clip the bar with a header at the other end. The home side went in front when Santoruvo latched onto a Ganci ball to beat Avramov after 20 minutes. Santoruvo nearly struck again just after the break before Gillet was called upon to rush out and deny Fava. The game was put beyond doubt when Carrus was brought down in the box by Valdez, who was dismissed for a professional foul. The ex-Cagliari man got up to convert the spot kick himself and seal three points for the Galletti.

Frosinone 0-1 Piacenza
Piacenza are back in the promotion race after labouring to victory over Frosinone. The first half-hour was a midfield stalemate before Degano fired the Biancorossi ahead from a free-kick move. Cacia missed a good chance to double the lead, but the second half was dominated by the home side with Di Nardo striking just wide in stoppages.

Genoa 4-3 Cesena
Genoa extended their lead at the top of the table after this thrilling encounter with second-placed Cesena. There were far too many chances to mention, with a goalline clearance on Papa Waigo and Adailton free kick tipped out from under the bar before Sculli put the home side ahead by tapping in Fabiano’s wayward shot. Moments later Greco smashed in a 30-yard screamer, but Cesena got back into it when Salvetti converted a penalty for Barasso’s foul on Piccoli.

Adailton restored the two-goal cushion before the break with a precise header and Turci denied Sculli with an outstretched foot. Papa Waigo set up Lazzari to make it 3-2, only for Adailton to complete his brace by picking up the loose ball from a parried Zeytulaev strike. It still wasn’t over, as Cesena kept the pressure up until the end with Papa Waigo firing home from eight yards to finish off surely the most entertaining game of the season so far.

Mantova 0-2 Bologna
Bologna get back into the promotion race with a second consecutive victory, and a very prestigious one at that. Mantova have made their home record their calling card, but Bellucci broke through with the first chance, a slightly deflected right-foot strike from distance. Amoroso was closed down soon after and Caridi went close to an equaliser before Doga’s free kick clipped the upright. However, Della Rocca dispossessed goalkeeper Brivio in the final stages to make the points safe.

Modena 2-0 Lecce
Lecce were running away at the top of the table a few weeks ago, but with their second straight defeat there are signs of a crisis. Once again, their disiplinary record needs to be looked at, as Rullo was sent off for a second bookable offence before the break. Campedelli went close to an opener with a strike that thumped the woodwork, but Modena also had Sforzini dismissed. Colacone was the decisive player with a brace, first scoring with a right-foot effort from distance, then taking advantage of Benussi’s error. Polenghi had Lecce’s best opportunity of the match saved by Frezzolini.

Napoli 1-0 Crotone
Napoli scraped a win, extending their unbeaten run to six games, with a new 3-4-3 system. The Crotone defence suffered under this attacking tactic, as they marked Bucchi after nine minutes, leaving Calaio unmarked to nod in De Zerbi’s cross from the left. Soviero blocked another Calaio header from a Garics centre and Inacio Pia’s attempt, while Dalla Bona drilled wide. Crotone had a few chances, most notably a save on Lopez’s solo effort.

Pescara 0-0 Vicenza
New Coaches Angelo Gregucci and Aldo Ammazzalorso shared the points after an even clash at the Stadio Adriatico. Paonessa nearly fired the visitors ahead towards the end of a quiet first half, but saw his shot smartly stopped by Spadavecchia. The ex-Bari ‘keeper was again alert to stop a Sgrigna effort at the start of the second period and Raimondi put the rebound over the bar. Pescara had chances to steal the points through a Martini effort and a Carozza free-kick which flashed wide.

Monday 23 October
Verona 0-1 Albinoleffe
Verona’s nightmare start to the season continues after the Scaligeri were sunk by a late Albinoleffe winner. A turgid first period saw precious little goalmouth incident with the only effort on goal coming from Belinghieri who failed to test Verona ‘keeper Pegolo. Teodorani impressed on the left wing for the home side and had their best chance shortly after the interval, but his shot was easily stopped by Acerbis in the Albinoleffe goal. Just when the game seemed to be set for stalemate, Roberto Bonazzi stole the three points for the visitors with a first time strike from a cross and piled the pressure on Verona Coach Massimo Ficcadenti whose side are still without a home win this term.


Source: C4 Football Italia

UEFA Cup: Parma & Palermo secure wins; Livorno beaten

Thursday 19 October
Group H: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-2 Palermo
Palermo kicked off the group stages of the UEFA Cup with a 2-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Commerzbank Arena. The German outfit did take the lead in the Group H tie, but goals from Franco Brienza and Cristian Zaccardo gave the Sicilians three points at the death. With one minute of added time at the end of the first half, the home side took the lead. The ball fell to Streit on the edge of the area and his left-footed strike rippled the net. Francesco Guidolin opted to keep faith with his starting line-up after the break and his belief was rewarded on 49 minutes. Brienza controlled a free kick with his chest to fire home the equaliser. With the clock running down a win was collected thanks to Zaccardo's goal. The Italian international defender perfectly collected a Roberto Guana cross to head past the goalkeeper in the 87th minute. Palermo are next in action on November 2 against Newcastle United at the Stadio Barbera.

Group D: Odense 1-2 Parma
Parma put behind their domestic problems to collect a precious 2-1 win at Odense in the UEFA Cup. The Gialloblu came from a goal down to pick up the three points in their first game of the group phase. The Danes took the lead thanks to their superiority in the air and because of some absent defending by the visitors. Hansen jumped highest and he comfortably nodded past Alfonso De Lucia. Parma, packed with youngsters, managed to keep their heads and also find an equaliser. After seeing Andrea Pisanu unsuccessfully attempt a chip, the Emilia outfit made it 1-1 just before half time. Maurizio Ciaramitaro’s shot struck the bar but Daniele Dessena was alert enough to nod in the rebound. Coach Stefano Pioli brought on Massimo Paci and Igor Budan at the break which delivered instant rewards. The latter took just five minutes to get his name on the scoresheet after he expertly collected a Dessena cross from the right. Parma held out for the three points after some late attacks from the home side to go top of Group D after the first 90 minutes of action. Parma play Heerenveen at home next on November 23.

Group A: Livorno 2-3 Rangers
Rangers became the first Scottish club to win a European tie in Italy with a sumptuous display to sink Livorno at the Stadio Armando Picchi. The Scottish giants made a nervy start as underlined by goalkeeper Lionel Letizi who was struggling to come to terms with the torrential rain in the Tuscan hills. Charlie Adam fired a stunning volley on 27 minutes following a Kris Boyd header. The second arrived from the penalty spot after Nacho Novo was brought down by Samuel Kuffour. Boyd put the ball down on the spot and he smashed it centrally into the goal past Marco Amelia on the half-hour mark. At two goals down, Livorno desperately needed to respond and they did almost immediately with a penalty of their own. Julien Rodriguez was adjudged to have impeded Luca Vigiani in the area and Cristiano Lucarelli converted his strike to make it 2-1. But thoughts of a comeback before half-time were crushed within 120 seconds as Rangers restored their lead. Nacho Novo drilling home Boyd's headed pass. Lucarelli scrambled home his second late on to give the home side some hope, but Rangers held on to secure a win which will leave them in a strong position to qualify from Group A. Livorno travel to Partizan Belgrade next.

Today's Other Results
Group A: Maccabi Haifa 3-1 Auxerre.
Group B: Besiktas 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur, Club Brugge 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen.
Group C: AZ Alkmaar 3-0 SC Braga, Slovan Liberec 0-0 Sevilla.
Group D: Osasuna 0-0 Heerenveen.
Group E: Wisla Krakow 1-2 Blackburn Rovers, FC Basel 1-1 Feyenoord.
Group F: Austria Vienna 1-4 Zulte Waregem, Sparta Rotterdam 0-2 Espanyol.
Group G: Panathinaikos 2-0 Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Rapid Bucharest 0-0 PSG.
Group H: Newcastle United 1-0 Fenerbahce.

Siena hit with point penalty

Siena President Paolo De Luca has been suspended for 3 months.

Siena have been docked a point today due to late payment of taxes on players' wages.

As well as the point penalty, Siena President Paolo De Luca has been handed a three-month suspension from the game by the Italian Football League's disciplinary commission. He said he would appeal both decisions.

Before today, the Tuscan club were lying fifth in the Italian top flight with eleven points from six games, but now drop to sixth below Livorno.

Serie B outfit Pescara were also punished for the same reason, receiving an identical punishment to the Tuscan outfit.

CL: Matchday 3

Tuesday 17 October
Group H - Matchday 3
Kaka scored a wonderful long-range goal as 10-man AC Milan escaped with a narrow victory over Belgian champions Anderlecht in Brussels on Tuesday night. The Brazilian playmaker fired home a 30-yard bullet just before the hour mark after team-mate Daniele Bonera had been sent off for his second booking of the game just after half-time. Kaka's moment of brilliance, and a fortunate late escape thanks to the woodwork, saved the Rossoneri who now lead the group by two points from Lille.

The French side moved up to second after they hit two late goals to see off winless AEK Athens 3-1. Mathieu Robail put Lille ahead before Vladimir Ivic equalised - but Daniel Gygax and Jean Makoun scored in the last 10 minutes for the French side.

Other Results - Matchday 3
Group E: Dynamo Kiev 0-3 Lyon, Steaua Bucharest 1-4 Real Madrid.
Group F: Celtic 3-0 Benfica, Manchester United 3-0 FC Copenhagen.
Group G: CSKA Moscow 1-0 Arsenal, FC Porto 4-1 Hamburg.

Wednesday 18 October
Group B - Matchday 3
Inter made life hard for themselves but held on to defeat Spartak Moscow 2-1 to earn their first points in Champions League this season. It seemed like it was going to be an easy night for Roberto Mancini's side when Julio Cruz struck twice in the first nine minutes. But Spartak didn't go down without a fight and Roman Pavluchenko's goal in the 54th minute brought them right back in it. Dejan Stankovic had a goal disallowed while Spartak had a chance to equalise late on, but goalkeeper Julio Cesar ensured Inter kept hold of the full three points to finally get their European campaign up and running.

Leaders Bayern Munich kept their 100% record with a 1-0 win away at Portugal's Sporting Lisbon. Bastian Schweinsteiger scored the goal which leaves the German needing only a point to qualify, but the midfielder was later sent off.

Group D - Matchday 3
Roma tightened their grip on second place in Group D by claiming a vital 1-0 win over Olympiakos thanks to Simone Perrotta's solitary goal at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium. He converted substitute Alesandro Rossi's cross to seal all three points following a tense encounter in the Greek capital. Olympiakos enjoyed the majority of chances but were undone by Luciano Spalletti's determined Roma who will be confident of seeing off the Greeks at the Stadio Olimpico in two weeks to further secure a place in the knock-out stage.

In the groups other game, Spain international David Villa scored twice in the first half to ensure Valencia continued their perfect start with a 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar defender Viacheslav Sviderskiy was sent off after a second caution on 76 minutes and will miss Valencia's visit to Donetsk in two weeks' time.

Other Results - Matchday 3
Group A: Chelsea 1-0 Barcelona, Werder Bremen 2-0 Levski Sofia.
Group C: Bordeaux 0-1 Liverpool, Galatasaray 1-2 PSV Eindhoven.

Del Neri back at Chievo

Chievo President Luca Campedelli (left) with Gigi Del Neri.

Giuseppe Pillon has been sacked as coach of struggling Chievo, with Gigi Del Neri returning to the Flying Donkeys' bench.

The Veronese outfit confirmed the news with an official statement on the club’s website, but the change on the bench was not a total shock after Sunday’s defeat at Torino.

The Gialloblu have not had an easy start in the season, failing to qualify for the Champions League group stage after losing to Levski Sofia, and becoming the only Italian casualty in the first round of the UEFA Cup.

Chievo are also rooted to the lower positions in the Serie A table with only one point earned and have yet to net their first win after the opening six matches.

Gigi Del Neri is a well-known name in Verona, where he coached Chievo from 2000 to 2004, giving birth to the so called “miracle Chievo”, leading the team to promotion to Serie A and then earning a historical qualification for the UEFA Cup in 2002.

In the summer of 2004, Del Neri was signed by Champions League holders Porto, but as in Empoli in 1998, he was fired before his debut.

He then moved to Roma in October 2004 but left his place on the bench in March 2005 after a disappointing season for the Giallorossi.

Last year he accepted an offer from Palermo and despite a good start was fired in January after a home defeat to Siena.

Del Neri will make his second debut on the Chievo bench against his former club Roma on Sunday, when the Flying Donkeys visit the Stadio Olimpico.

[Serie A 2006-07 Managerial Changes]

Golden Ball nominees revealed

Seven members of Italy’s World Cup winning squad are included in the shortlist of 50 players who will compete for the 2006 Golden Ball award.

Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso, Fabio Grosso, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni and Gianluca Zambrotta are on the list released by France Football magazine, while Zinedine Zindane is one of the 11 French candidates.

Marco Materazzi was not on the list, just as in 2006 FIFA World Player nominations last week.

This is the 51st year of the award, also known as European Footballer of the Year, and Ronaldinho’s successor will be voted by a jury of three journalists per European country. The award will be assigned on December 18.


2006 Golden Ball shortlist: Ballack (Ger), Buffon (Ita), Cahill (Aus), Cannavaro (Ita), J. Cole (Eng), Coupet (Fra), Cris (Bra), Cristiano Ronaldo (Por), Deco (Por), M. Diarra (Mal), Drogba (IC), Essien (Gha), Eto'o (Cam), Fabregas (Spa), Gallas (Fra), Gattuso (Ita), Gerrard (Eng), Giuly (Fra), Grosso (Ita), Henry (Fra), Juninho Pernambucano (Bra), Kaka (Bra), Klose (Ger), Lahm (Ger), Lampard (Eng), Lehmann (Ger), Makelele (Fra), Malouda (Fra), Mendez (Ecu), Messi (Arg), Pirlo (Ita), Podolski (Ger), Puyol (Spa), Ribery (Fra), Ronaldinho (Bra), Riquelme (Arg), Robben (Ned), Rooney (Eng), Sagnol (Fra), Schweinsteiger (Ger), Shevchenko (Ukr), Terry (Eng), Thuram (Fra), Tiago (Por), Toni (Ita), Torres (Spa), Vieira (Fra), Villa (Spa), Zambrotta (Ita), Zidane (Fra).

Serie A Wk 6: Review

Dejan Stankovic's brace helped Inter get back to the top of Serie A.

Saturday 14 October
Sampdoria 1-1 Milan
AC Milan's run of draws was extended to four as they came from behind to claim a point against Sampdoria on Saturday. Emiliano Bonazzoli put the home side ahead after 68 minutes but, just like in Milan against Internazionale last month, Samp were unable to hold onto their advantage and succumbed to some intense late pressure. Substitute Kakha Kaladze earned Carlo Ancelotti's side a point five minutes from time in Genoa. However, after winning their first game in 17 attempts a fortnight ago, a draw against Milan will feel like another victory for Samp.

Siena 3-1 Messina
Three men were sent off as Siena scored twice in injury time to complete a dramatic late comeback and see off high-flying Messina 3-1. The points looked set to be shared with the game entering its final seconds after Abdoulay Konko equalised Cristian Rigano's 20th-minute penalty opener. And it seemed inconceivable that there could be any further action after Siena's Vincent Candela joined Messina duo Carmine Coppola and Nicolas Cordova in the dressing room for seeing red two minutes from time. But, with Siena's 10 men seemingly drawing a blank against the visitors' nine, substitutes Mario Frick and Francesco Cozza popped up in injury time to give the game a thrilling late twist.

Sunday 15 October
Inter 2-1 Catania
Inter moved to the top of the Serie A table after Dejan Stankovic's brace helped them come from behind to beat Catania 2-1 at the San Siro on Sunday afternoon. The reigning champions had a scare after falling behind to Giuseppe Masacara's strike, but Stankovic equalised on the half-hour mark. The referee pointed to the spot in the second half in favour of the home side, as Julio Cruz was dragged down, but his penalty was straight down the middle and beaten away by Armando Pantanelli. A scrappy win was secured through Stankovic's second 15 minutes from time. With pressure mounting on coach Roberto Mancini already, it was vital that Inter claimed a win over the newly-promoted Sicilian outfit, who have just one win to their name so far this season.

Palermo 2-3 Atalanta
Palermo missed the chance to become league leaders after they were beaten 3-2 by Atalanta in a five-goal thriller at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. Christiano Doni put Atalanta ahead before Mark Bresciano levelled for the home side four minutes later. Claudio Rivalta again gave the away side the lead before Eugenio Corini's penalty drew Palermo level at the end of a thrilling first half. But Fernando Tissone's second-half strike then secured victory for Atalanta and condemned the Sicilian side to their second defeat in three league games.

Reggina 1-0 Roma
A second-half goal from Reggina striker Nicola Amoruso sunk a toothless Roma 1-0 in Reggio de Calabria. Amoruso struck a beautiful volley shortly after the re-start to give his team three vital points in their fight for survival. The goal was reward for the hosts' incisive cutting edge, which was in contrast to a lack of initiative from Luciano Spalletti's Eternal City giants. Roma drop to second in the standings while Reggina are on minus seven points following their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal, one place off the bottom of the table.

Empoli 1-2 Fiorentina
Second-half goals by Adrian Mutu and Luca Toni secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory for Fiorentina as their Tuscan rivals Empoli lost their first home game of the season. The visitors fell behind courtesy of a first Serie A goal for Davide Matteini but the home side couldn't hold on. The win leaves the visitors on -10 points, but they will be encouraged with their recent improvement, following a poor start after they were penalised 19 points in the summer scandal.

Lazio 0-0 Cagliari
Cagliari keeper Antonio Chimenti saved a first-half penalty from Massimo Oddo as the Sardinians held Lazio to a goalless draw at the Stadio Olimpico. The Biancoceleste would have climbed out of the relegation zone with a victory but instead they remain third bottom because of the points deduction handed to the club in the summer as punishment for their involvement in the match-fixing scandal. Just before the end of the game, Cagliari had two men sent off and Lazio one with each of the players shown straight red cards. Joe Bizera and Oddo were sent off for bad tackles while Daniele Conti was given his marching orders for protesting to the referee. It has been a difficult few days for Lazio and club President Claudio Lotito, who was booed prior to kick off by a section of their supporters. The club was placed under police investigation on Friday into extortion and attempts to inflate the share price of the club.

Parma 0-3 Udinese
Ten-man Udinese moved up to fourth in Serie A after condemning Parma to their fifth consecutive league defeat at the Ennio Tardini. The home side tried to pay tribute to outgoing President Guido Angiolini, who resigned earlier this week, by winning their first game of the season. Sulley Ali Muntari gave the visitors the lead inside the opening 10 minutes, before Vincenzo Iaquinta doubled their advantage from the penalty spot minutes later. The Italy striker then grabbed his second of the game midway through the second-half to wrap up the three points. Muntari was later sent off for the visitors after lashing out at Vincenzo Grella. The result means that Parma remain fourth from bottom after picking up just one point so far this campaign.

Torino 1-0 Chievo
Torino claimed their first win of the season with a narrow victory over fellow strugglers Chievo in a tight match at Turin's Stadio Olimpico. It has been a tough battle so far for Toro in their first season back in Serie A, having scraped just two points from five games before Sunday, but they finally managed to kick-start their campaign thanks to a Roberto Stellone goal three minutes after the break. In contrast, these are worrying times for Chievo - the defeat leaves them with only one point from six games, and matches against Roma and Milan around the corner. Having already been dumped out of European competition, last season's heroic exploits are starting to become a distant memory and, if they do not find form soon, they may soon have to face up to the reality of a relegation struggle.

Ascoli 0-2 Livorno
Ten-man Livorno secured their third victory of the campaign with a classy 2-0 win at Ascoli. Tomas Danilevicius opened the scoring midway though the first half before Antonio Filippini's bullet on the hour-mark doubled his team's lead. The visitors were forced to play with a man down after defender Giovanni Pasquale was sent off for a second bookable offence with 20 minutes left to play. But despite having the extra man, the hosts - still without a win this season - were unable to take advantage and surrendered the three points without much of a fight.

Serie B Wk 7: Genoa conquer Brescia...

Genoa extended their lead at the top of Serie B with victory over Brescia.

Friday 13 October
Vicenza 1-1 Napoli
Napoli’s difficulties continue as they threw away what would’ve been a valuable victory away to rock bottom Vicenza. The Biancorossi impressed under new Coach Angelo Gregucci and put the visitors under pressure, but it was Edy Reja’s men who took the lead when Calaiò sprung the offside trap on Savini’s pass to waltz round the goalkeeper. The points seemed to be in the bag thanks to Iezzo’s saves on Schwoch, but Savini saw red after a brawl and moments later Cavalli snatched a deserved equaliser to end their run of three consecutive home defeats.

Saturday 14 October
Arezzo 0-1 Triestina
Arezzo Coach Antonio Conte is feeling the pressure after this surprise home defeat. Kalambay had broken the deadlock within the first four minutes thanks to a screamer from distance. Both sides wasted chances with Lombardi thumping the crossbar and Floro Flores was closed down. Simonetta’s late header was palmed out by Triestina goalkeeper Rossi to keep the win safe, leaving Arezzo on -2 points.

Bologna 2-0 Modena
The Rossoblu get the bragging rights in this local derby and play-off showdown. Bologna had a strong start and took the lead through Marazzina’s looping header on Daino’s cross. Modena tried to fight back, but their forwards weren’t wearing their scoring boots today and Bellucci was fortunate to see his free kick take a wicked deflection off the wall.

Brescia 0-2 Genoa
This could be a decisive result in the promotion race, as Genoa extend their lead at the top of the table with a prestigious victory away to one of their main rivals. It was ex-Brescia hitman Giuseppe Sculli who netted both goals, turning in Adailton’s free kick and getting his head to a Tavares cross in the first half. The Rondinelle tried to fight back after the break, but Serafini missed from five yards and Possanzini fired a penalty over the bar for De Rosa’s foul.

Cesena 1-0 Bari
Cesena squeezed past a Bari side that has been one of the surprises of the Serie B season so far. Papa Waigo and Virdis had the best chances in the first half, though Turci had to perform saves on Santoruvo’s volley and a Vantaggiato header too. The decisive moment came on 69 minutes with a Papa Waigo left-foot finish that beat Gillet. Pelle saw red in stoppages, but Cesena held on for the points.

Crotone 1-1 Albinoleffe
This was certainly a tense relegation dogfight with three dismissals and 11 bookings. Ferrari converted an early penalty to put Albinoleffe into the lead, almost immediately cancelled out by a Giampaolo header. This is when the tension spilled over, as Maietta saw red for a second bookable offence, Ferrari followed for an elbow and Nanni’s crunching tackle. Rabito had the chance to give Albinoleffe the points in the closing stages, only to fire over the bar.

Lecce 1-2 Rimini
Zdenek Zeman’s Lecce were stunned at the Stadio Via del Mare by little Rimini, but the result was certainly affected by a moment of madness. Diamoutene was sent off within the opening 120 seconds for a last man foul and moments later substitute Petras accidentally turned the ball into his own net. Rimini also played most of the game in 10 men following Peccarisi’s dismissal, but they still managed to double their lead with Ricchiuti’s counter-attack. Young talent Juliano scored his third goal of the season to get them back into it, though Lecce failed to muster the necessary push to create real scoring opportunities.

Pescara 0-2 Frosinone
Pescara Coach Aldo Ammazzalorso had a disappointing debut as new boys Frosinone snatched a shock victory. The deadlock was broken after just five minutes with Di Nardo’s right-foot finish and Ferrante wasted the opportunity to equalise when his chipped penalty thumped the bar. Even after Cannarsa’s dismissal for a second bookable offence, 10-man Frosinone kept pushing and sealed the scoreline with Lodi’s counter-attack.

Piacenza 1-0 Verona
Piacenza returned to winning ways with this hard-fought result. The game was mainly played in midfield with Miglionico clearing a dangerous Iunco cross and Nocerino nodding wide. Verona seemed to be more impressive and had chances for Nieto, Italiano and Pedrelli, but it was Piace who took the points. Turati brought down Degano and Cacia kept his cool from the penalty spot.

Spezia 1-1 Mantova
Spezia entertained Mantova at the Stadio Alberto Picco in a match that ended with a share of the spoils, but the visitors deserved much more for their consistently attacking approach. They'd been denied by great saves on Noselli and Caridi before Tarana's free kick clipped the woodwork. A great header from Gorzegno put Spezia into the lead during first half stoppages before Bernacci equalised from close range. Mantova are now second in the table with 12 points alongside Napoli and Cesena, but will rue their wasted chances in this game.

Monday 16 October
Treviso 0-1 Juventus
Juventus have moved off the bottom of the Serie B table after a 1-0 win at Treviso in the Monday night game. Cristiano Zanetti grabbed his first goal for the club since his summer switch to take the Calciopoli-hit outfit to minus one point in the standings after their fifth straight League win.

Treviso started the game brightly as Juventus took their time to settle at the Stadio Omobono Tenni. However, once the Old Lady did find their feet then they dominated the rest of the first period. Alex Del Piero, in search of his 200th club goal, found the back of the net but it was rightly ruled out for offside. The captain then should have scored for real when he was one on one with Avramov, yet the ‘keeper did well to deny him. Juve did take the lead though soon after when Mauro Camoranesi’s cross was met by Zanetti in minute 38. The half ended with Russotto and Camoranesi exchanging shots.

The home side started the second period well, but Gigi Buffon kept out efforts from Vascak, Viali and Fava. And as the tie went on, Juventus – who also had a David Trezeguet strike disallowed – played down the clock and almost doubled their lead late on with Trez and a Del Piero chip.


Source: C4 Football Italia

Police move in over Lazio shares

Claudio Lotito (Lazio President) and Giorgio Chinaglia.

Italian police are conducting a major investigation into suspected extortion and attempts to influence share prices at former Italian champions Lazio.

Eight suspects are in custody and an arrest warrant has been issued for former Biancoceleste striker and ex-club President Giorgio Chinaglia.

An investigation was opened back in March this year when the value of the club’s shares jumped 34% amid rumours of an imminent takeover bid.

Mr Chinaglia is accused of starting rumours that inflated Lazio's share price by announcing that a Hungarian pharmaceuticals group was interested in buying the club.

"The warrants regard communications, which lacked any basis in fact, which were circulated in the early months of this year by a few individuals about how a foreign group was interested in buying a controlling stake in the club," the Rome police statement said.

While five of the arrest warrants were reportedly for market rigging, four were for fans who allegedly tried to intimidate Lazio president Claudio Lotito into selling the club.

Lotito, a Roman businessman who saved the outfit from bankruptcy, is understood to have received death threats directed towards himself and his family.

Chinaglia has reacted with surprise and dismay, denying any wrongdoing. In an interview with the website for national newspaper La Repubblica, Chinaglia said: "I have fallen off the clouds, I have never been part of extortion. I cannot understand where they want to get to with this, I don't even know the reason why the heads of the Lazio fans have been arrested. It's all very sad.

"Lotito has never wanted to sit at a table with the Hungarian group interested in buying the club and, if one doesn't want to do it, that's it, we let it go. For me, this issue was closed eight months ago to one year ago, considering there was no interest in negotiating. I have returned very calm to the United States, I said to myself, 'Patience'."

On being asked whether he would return to Italy, Chinaglia said: "I will return, I'm Italian. I live abroad but I'm Italian."

The Roman club have been seeking to recover from an 11-point deduction which came as punishment for their role in the Calciopoli scandal which rocked Italy this summer.

FIFA reveal Player of the Year list

Five members of Italy’s World Cup winning squad are included in the shortlist of 30 players who will compete for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year title.

Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso, Alessandro Nesta and Andrea Pirlo are on the list, along with five Frenchman who starred in the World Cup Final in Berlin, those being Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Frank Ribery, Lilian Thuram and Patrick Vieira.

The name of Ronaldinho’s successor will be released on December 18 at the Zurich Opera House, during the 16th annual World Player Gala.

The list of candidates for the award was drawn up by football experts from different FIFA committees.

As in the last two years, the head coaches and captains of the national teams will now vote for the best player from the lists of candidates and FIFA will reveal the three names who received the most votes at the beginning of December.

The Gala will also include prizes for outstanding performances at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The tournament’s three best players (Zidane, Cannavaro and Pirlo) and top scorers (Miroslav Klose, Hernan Crespo and Ronaldo) will be presented with awards, as will the two fairest teams (Brazil and Spain) and the outstanding goalkeeper (Buffon).

The most represented club is Chelsea with six nominees, while Barcelona and Milan boast four players each.

Only Zidane and Ronaldinho among the candidates have already lifted the prestigious trophy in the past.


FIFA World Player of the Year shortlist: Adriano (Inter, Brazil), Michael Ballack (Chelsea, Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus, Italy), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid, Italy), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Portugal), Petr Cech (Chelsea, Czech Republic), Deco (Barcelona, Portugal), Didier Drogba (Chelsea, Ivory Coast), Michael Essien (Chelsea, Ghana), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona, Cameroon), Luis Figo (Inter, Portugal), Gennaro Gattuso (Milan, Italy), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, England), Thierry Henry (Arsenal, France), Kaka (Milan, Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen, Germany), Philippe Lahm (Bayern Munich, Germany), Frank Lampard (Chelsea, England), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal, Germany), Alessandro Nesta (Milan, Italy), Andrea Pirlo (Milan, Italy), Franck Ribery (Marseille, France), Juan Roman Riquelme (Villarreal, Argentina), Ronaldinho (Barcelona, Brazil), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, England), Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal, Czech Republic), Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea, Ukraine), Lilian Thuram (Barcelona, France), Patrick Vieira (Inter, France), Zinedine Zidane (retired, France).

Serie B Wk 6: Rampant Genoa go top...

Both Genoa and Napoli record home wins.

Sunday 8 October
Albinoleffe 0-0 Spezia
The crowd in the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia wasn’t given much to applaud this afternoon in a drab encounter. These teams have had trouble scoring all season, Albinoleffe netting just four this term and Spezia five goals, so it was no surprise to see this end in a draw. The best opportunity fell to the home side with Previtali, whose free kick was well saved by Santoni.

Genoa 3-0 Arezzo
Genoa temporarily take the top of the Serie B table, as this weekend several games were postponed due to players away on international duty. Genoa continue their fine form and pushed Rossi up to replace the suspended Sculli in the trident attack.

Greco combined with Botta to slot home the opener after 20 minutes and just before the break Galeoto hauled down Adailton, the Brazilian getting back up to convert the penalty. Arezzo barely managed a shot on goal and paid the price for a defensive approach with Longo netting in stoppages for the Grifone’s fourth win in six games.

Mantova 2-0 Vicenza
Mantova Coach Mimmo Di Carlo was a hero for Vicenza fans during his playing career, but he added to their woes with this result. It was an even first half as the Biancorossi tried to settle under new tactician Angelo Gregucci, who replaced the sacked Giancarlo Camolese this week, but the home side took charge after the break. Tarana’s powerful right-foot finish opened the scoring and, after Sgrigna’s second bookable offence, Bernacci tapped in a cross from the left.

Modena 2-0 Pescara
Modena earned their second win of the season, but Pescara boss Davide Ballardini’s job is on the line. Spadavecchia handed Tamburini the opener when he came out to gather a relatively simple ball only to let it squirm out of his grasp. Pinardi finalised an impressive team move, tapping in after Sforzini’s delightful back-heel flick. Frezzolini ensured the Canarini kept a clean sheet, as Pescara stay rooted to the spot with just two points.

Napoli 1-0 Rimini
Rimini were kicking themselves at the final whistle, as they had the better of the play overall, but lost to 10-man Napoli. The visitors wasted a series of scoring opportunities with Ricchiuti and Jeda before Amodio picked up two bookings in the space of 60 seconds.

However, it was substitute De Zerbi who snatched the winner in the final stages with a long-range strike that left goalkeeper Pugliesi red-faced. It’s Napoli’s second consecutive victory that temporarily puts them in second place, but only the crossbar prevented Jeda’s header giving Rimini what would’ve been a well-earned point.

Treviso 1-1 Piacenza
Former Piacenza hero Beghetto held his old club to a draw at the Stadio Omobono Tenni. The Biancorossi had taken the lead when Cottafava nodded a Patrascu free kick into his own net in an attempt to anticipate Olivi. Beghetto both earned and converted the equalising penalty and Vascak thought he’d won it for Treviso at the death, but his goal was disallowed for offside.

Verona 0-0 Crotone
Crotone boss Elio Gustinetti risked the sack following four defeats in their first five games, so this is a precious point indeed away to Verona. Goalkeeper Soviero was their saviour, keeping out an Italiano penalty after just seven minutes. Cutolo had a good chance to win it and the visitors focused on the counter-attack, but neither side could break through.

Monday 9 October
Bari 2-0 Bologna
Bari have shot up to joint second in the standings after a 2-0 win over crisis-hit Bologna in the Monday night Serie B game. The southern outfit netted the three points thanks to goals from Santoruvo and his 74th minute substitute Ganci. The first headed home a Scaglia corner in minute 49, while the latter curled in a free-kick in the last minute. The Rossoblu, who wasted two great chances through Nervo in either half, have now failed to win in their last four games.

Wednesday 1 November
Juventus 2-0 Brescia
Juventus are closing in on the Serie B leadership following their eighth consecutive victory, sweeping aside fellow promotion hopefuls Brescia. This tie was rescheduled due to the number of players away on international duty in Week 6, but it gave the Bianconeri the opportunity to celebrate the 109th anniversary of the club. It was a special occasion and Gianluca Pessotto, who fell from a building in June, was in the stands for the first time since the incident.

It took just six minutes to break through with captain Alessandro Del Piero, whose right-foot strike slipped under goalkeeper Viviani’s arms for his 201st goal in a Juve jersey. Pinturicchio was also involved in the second goal, as his cross was accidentally turned into his own net by Colombo.

Brescia were shell-shocked at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin and a fine save prevented Pavel Nedved making it 3-0, while David Trezeguet had a goal disallowed for offside on the stroke of half-time. Viviani also kept out Alessandro Birindelli’s long-range piledriver.

The visitors only had one real shot on goal after 82 minutes, Gianluigi Buffon palming away a sliding Jadid volley from point-blank range. They were left in 10 men in the final minute with a straight red card for Zambelli’s late tackle on Nedved. It was clumsy more than malicious, so perhaps it was a little harsh.

Frosinone 2-1 Lecce
Frosinone came from behind to beat Lecce 2-1 in their re-arranged Week 6 Serie B clash. The original tie was postponed due to the Giallorossi’s international call-ups, but the change of date did little for the away team despite them going 1-0 up on 18 minutes. Valdes, somewhat fortunately, opened the scoring after a few ricochets. But Frosinone equalised straight after the break through Lodi thanks to a wicked left-foot shot from outside the area. Margiotta then gave them the win from the penalty spot after Rosati was brought down. Lecce ended the game with 10 men following the dismissal of Osvaldo.

Cesena 0-1 Triestina
Cesena’s hopes of reaching Serie A were dealt a blow with this surprise home defeat deep into stoppages. A disappointing encounter, postponed to November 1 due to the number of players on international duty, it seemed to be heading for a goalless finale. Allegretti’s effort hit the bar for the home side and Papa Waigo’s strike was well saved before Triestina substitute Testini netted on the counter-attack.

Source: C4 Football Italia