Juventus fail in relegation challenge

Juventus today failed to persuade Italy's football federation to repeal their relegation to the second division following a match-fixing trial.

A soccer tribunal stripped Juve of their last two Italian titles and demoted them to Serie B where they will start the season with a 17-point deduction.

The Italian Olympic Committee's (CONI) conciliation court brought together Juventus directors and the soccer federation today to seek an agreement regarding the club's appeal for a more lenient sentence, with Juventus demanding a return to Serie A.

But a Juventus statement said the meeting had "not resulted in any conciliation" and that the board would meet on Monday to decide its next move.

Before today's meeting, Juventus said it was ready to turn to a regional court if the appeal to sporting bodies failed.

Juventus chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli said the Turin club expected the same punishment as three others involved in the scandal, Lazio, Fiorentina and AC Milan, who kept their places in the top division but with points penalties.

"We will examine all of our options calmly, convinced as we are, in our search for a more fair punishment," he told reporters.

Cobolli Gigli said the next steps included bringing the case to another Olympic Committee department and going outside sports justice to a civil court or even to the European Court of Justice.

The other three clubs and several individuals who were punished by the tribunal are also taking their cases to CONI in the coming weeks.  Reuters