This former railway station clerk is now at the forefront of Italy’s biggest sports scandals in recent history. Because of his actions, the glorious Juventus, along with Fiorentina and Lazio, will play next year in Serie B. They will do so starting with enough negative points to basically guarantee they remain there for at least two seasons. AC Milan, the other team affected by the scandal, will stay in Serie A, but will most likely be unable to play their coveted Champions League. For those of you who have been on another planet these past few months, Mr. Moggi’s involvement with the influencing of referees and referee-designator Pierluigi Pairetto, have caused the shaking of the establishment in Italian football. How much will Mr. Moggi’s actions affect one of the most competitive football leagues in the world? Lets see…

1)      Inter seems like the only club benefiting from the scandal. As a result of the verdict sending Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio to Serie B, clubs like Messina, Lecce, and Treviso will now be back on Serie A. Now, I mean no disrespect to these three clubs, but who would you rather play if you’re Inter? Juventus or Messina? Fiorentina or Lecce? Lazio or… you get the point. Inter will also be awarded the Scudettos taken away from Juventus. Inter has now become the prime contender for this upcoming season. AC Milan will have to overcome a deficit of 15 points, so that pretty much counts ACM out of contention. Inter will have to battle AS Roma and perhaps Palermo. But other than that, this season is Inter’s to win… or lose. For that, Inter should say “grazie tanti Luciano Moggi”.

2)      Because of the scandal, quality teams are being dismantled. Juve has already lost Cannavaro, Emerson and Zambrotta. Other players such as Camoranesi, Nedved, and Vieira are likely to jump ship. Capello did so as well. Fiorentina’s Luca Toni may end up in Inter. And even AC Milan may lose Kaká since the star would like to play the Champions League. Who benefits from this? Clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain. ManU in England. Bayern Munich in Germany. These clubs are getting great players at bargain prices. Not only that, but international players who might have otherwise gone to Serie A will opt to go to other leagues such as the Premiership or La Liga. In all, Il Calcio loses, but many –particularly rich- teams benefit. For that, they should say “grazie tanti Luciano Moggi”.

3)      All the agents, sports representatives, and people who make money buying and selling players such as Moggi’s own son, Alessandro (GEA World) will make money from this scandal. Needless to say, all these folks should say “grazie tanti Luciano Moggi”.

4)      Quite possibly, Italy’s Serie B (Second division) will now be Europe’s strongest, most competitive and exciting second division. Hands down. At least we’ll get to see another Juventus-Napoli classic unfold. I personally can’t wait. Or Fiorentina-Lazio? What other second division in the world will have this much excitement? This will certainly bring more attention (i.e. more money) to Serie B. And this money will have to be shared among the Serie B teams. For that, the entire list of Serie B teams should say “grazie tanti Luciano Moggi”.

5)      Finally, the other European leagues, who will not have to face Juve, Fiore of Lazio in European competitions much be delighted. They may now find themselves facing Messina instead (again, no disrespect). Folks in Germany, France (particularly France), Spain, Portugal, etc must be happy they will not have to face the “gladiatori” of Juventus at least in the coming two years. Italian soccer may take a while to recover from this scandal, a long, painful while… For that, European teams should say “grazie tanti Luciano Moggi”.

But what about the fans? I wonder what we will say to Mr. Moggi when we see him walking down the streets… You tell me.