Moggi gets jail sentence over match-fixing

By Laura Viggiano

NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) - Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi was sentenced to five years and four months in jail on Tuesday for his role in the match-fixing case which led to the club being demoted and stripped of their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles.

Moggi, already banned from football for life, was found guilty of sporting fraud and conspiracy by an Italian court in the criminal trial linked to the affair.

Fiorentina owners and brothers Andrea and Diego Della Valle and Lazio president Claudio Lotito were sentenced to 15 months and fined 25,000 euros ($34,600) each.

Former referee selector Paolo Bergamo was sentenced to three years and eight months and his colleague Pierluigi Pairetto to one year and 11 months.

Prosecutors in Naples, who had been investigating the case, had asked for five years and eight months for Moggi. His lawyer said he would appeal.

Moggi, who was not in court, has already been convicted of trying to manipulate the transfer market via a management agency in a separate criminal trial but has never served his one-year term.

The defendants are unlikely to spend time in jail due to Italy's lengthy appeals process and the reluctance of judges to imprison offenders for non-violent crimes.

Juventus spent a season in Serie B after the scandal. They won promotion at the first attempt but have never since reached their former heights although they are unbeaten this season.

The 2005 scudetto was not re-awarded and Inter Milan were declared champions for 2006.

Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were also docked points after being found guilty alongside Juventus of influencing the appointment of referees in the so-called Calciopoli scandal.

Earlier this year, Juventus called for Inter's title to be revoked following allegations that they were also involved in the scandal. However, the Italian federation ruled it did not have the power to revoke the decision and Inter were confirmed as champions.

(Additional reporting by Antonella Ciancio in Milan; Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by Clare Fallon; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)