SOCCER: Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has announced his club will appeal against the punishment handed out following the investigation into match-fixing.

The Italian Federal Appeal Commission found Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina and AC Milan guilty of match-fixing with the Turin side hit hardest by the verdict.

Juventus have been relegated to Serie B and will start next season with a 30-point deficit, as well as being stripped of the league titles they won in the past two seasons.

Fiorentina and Lazio were also relegated and will start the campaign with 12 and seven-point deficits respectively, while AC Milan retain their Serie A status but will start next season with a 15-point deficit. Milan have also been docked 44 points from their tally last season.

However, Cobolli Gigli has reacted angrily to the news and vowed to fight the punishment. "We expected a balanced sentence not only in form but in substance, our expectations were different ones. We could have expected relegation to the second division but to be also handed a 30-point deduction is almost like relegation to the third division. We will appeal."

Fiorentina immediately announced their intentions to appeal and Milan, who managed to avoid the drop to Serie B but were also unhappy with the verdict, which means they will not be able to play in the Champions League next season will also appeal.

Former Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani was one of several individuals also punished as a result of the investigation. Galliani was handed a one-year suspension from all football activities while Lazio president Claudio Lotito was banned for three years and his Fiorentina counterpart, Andrea Della Valle, was given a four-year punishment.

Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, who was at the centre of the investigation after his telephone conversations with a referee supremo in charge of the appointments of officials during the 2004/05 season were tapped, was suspended for five years. Referee Massimo De Santis, who had been due to officiate at the World Cup before becoming embroiled in the investigation, has been suspended for four and a half years.

The decision to strip Juventus of their title means they will not be allowed to play in the Champions League next season, while Lazio are also barred from taking part in the Uefa Cup.

Subject to appeals, Inter Milan and Roma get the Champions League spots, with Chievo and Palermo going into the qualifiers. Livorno, Parma and Empoli will be entered into the Uefa Cup. In addition, Lecce, Messina and Treviso will avoid relegation to Serie B and keep their places in the top flight.

Juventus

Italy's champions and its most succesful domestic team of all time are relegated to the second division Serie B and start next season with a penalty of 30 points. Juventus have also been stripped of the league championship titles won in the last two seasons.

AC Milan

The six-times European champions, owned by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, remain in the top flight Serie A but start next season with a penalty of 15 points. They have also had their points total for last season reduced by 44, disqualifying them from the Champions League.

Lazio

The former Italian champions based in Rome are relegated to Serie B and must start next season with a penalty of seven points.

Fiorentina

The former Italian champions located in Florence are relegated to Serie B and must start next season with a penalty of 12 points.