Juventus face an uphill task
Juventus face an uphill task
Juventus coach Deschamps said it would be "almost impossible" for the team to return to Serie A within a year.

Rome: Juventus's new coach Didier Deschamps said on Saturday it would be "almost impossible" for the team to return to Italy's elite Serie A within a year after being demoted for match fixing.

A sports tribunal on Friday relegated Italy's most successful club to Serie B with minus 30 points, a penalty Juventus is expected to appeal against.

Lazio and Fiorentina, who were also relegated, will begin their Serie B campaigns with minus seven and minus 12 points respectively.

"It's hard to reach the Serie A in just one year. With a 30 point penalty it's almost impossible. But we have a duty to try," former Juve midfielder and France captain Deschamps, named as coach on Monday, was quoted as saying by ANSA news agency.

The scandal broke in May with the publication of intercepted telephone conversations between a former Juventus official and Italian soccer authorities discussing refereeing appointments.

Beyond being ousted from Serie A, Juventus also face a likely exodus of players. They had eight players involved in last weekend's World Cup final between Italy and France in Berlin and few, if any, will be expected to stay with the Turin club and start next season in Serie B.

Deschamps told a news conference near Turin the situation for the players was complicated since Juventus were likely to suffer more than "a year of purgatory".

"We'll see (what happens)...on a case-by-case basis, looking for the best solution, not just for the players but for Juve above all," he said.

As well as the clubs, the tribunal banned a number of club officials from the game for varying periods.

Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, who was at the centre of the scandal, was banned for five years.

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