Italian soccer federation prosecutor Stefano Palazzi decided to start the trial against the teams in Rome on June 29 on charges of sporting fraud, with a verdict expected around July 9.

An investigation was launched following the publication in May of telephone conversations in which the then Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi was heard telling Pierluigi Pairetto, the head of the Italian referees' association, which officials he wanted assigned to games.

All four teams could be relegated to the second division and will be thrown out of European competition if found to be directly guilty of fraud.

The Japan Times Weekly: July 1, 2006
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