Juventus still paying for match-fixing

ROME, May 24 (AFP): It is five years since Juventus were found guilty of match-fixing for their part in the Italian Calciopoli scandal and having finished the 201011 season in seventh, it seems they are still paying for it. Juve drew 2-2 against Napoli Sunday as Roma beat Sampdoria 3-1 to ensure the Old Lady of Turin not only finished seventh for the second year in a row but have missed out on European football for the third year in the last six. Having been relegated to Serie B for their part in Calciopoli -- and been stripped of both the 2005 and 2006 titles -- they missed out on Europe that season and the next, following their return to Serie A. But in their first season back in the top flight, Juve surprised many people by claiming a third-placed finish. Having had to sell stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Patrick Vieira and Fabio Cannavaro when they dropped into Serie B, they were expected to need some time to regroup. But their second season back in the top flight saw them finish second and many were predicting a Juve title the next season -- amongst them the then Italy coach Marcello Lippi. But what happened instead was the Turin giants have taken one step back after another, their return to the upper echelons of the table proving merely a false dawn. And with a second disastrous season in a row now completed, they have decided to part company with coach Luigi Delneri, meaning they are looking for a seventh coach in the space of five years.