#2 The 2006 ‘Calciopoli’ scandal
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Arguably the most high-profile sporting scandal in history, the football world was rocked in 2006 when it was revealed that several top Serie A clubs had been involved in match-fixing.
The scandal was uncovered by Italian police who alleged that teams such as Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina had been rigging games by selecting favourable referees. Juventus, who were the current champions and had won the league in 2005 and 2006, were relegated to Serie B and stripped of their titles.
While AC Milan did not receive such a punishment, Fiorentina and Lazio were also deducted points and relegated to the second division. The scandal had major implications on Italian football and continues to remain a talking point whenever the state of Italian football is mentioned.
The scandal saw the resignation of several high-profile officials, including the entire Juventus board of directors and the president of the Italian Football Federation.
Despite being relegated, Juventus managed to hold onto the majority of their star players and were promptly promoted back to Serie A after winning Serie B in their first season. The side suffered, however, and did not win a league title for several years after the scandal.
