The Italian 2nd tier is in a bit of a mess. Out of 20 teams only 17 are currently registered and 2 of those may be shifted up to Serie A because of problems there! An article here from Football Italia makes clear its current state. https://www.football-italia.net/124766/avellino-fail-register-serie-b Avellino have become the latest club to fail to register for Serie B, but they can appeal the decision to CONI. Italy’s second division is in chaos, as Bari and Cesena weren’t able to register and will be declared bankrupt, before being forced to start again in Serie D. It’s not even clear who would replace them, with Ternana, Pro Vercelli, Novara and Virtus Entella relegated last season and all seeking to take a place, as well as beaten Serie C play-off finalists Siena. Novara were initially ruled-out due to a sanction for not paying their players in May, June, November and December 2014, but they won an appeal and are now eligible. Now Avellino have also failed the checks to register, creating a third vacancy in Serie B. The Irpini haven't gone bankrupt, but they needed two financial guarantors to register for the league and one of those was Finworld, a company which was denied a registration by Banca d’Italia. Clubs who had Finworld as a guarantor therefore given extra time to find a new one, but it appears Avellino have failed to do so in time, despite the President declaring he would “deliver by hand” a guarantee from Groupama. Avellino can now appeal to CONI’s court to try and preserve their Serie B status. The confusion doesn’t end there, as there has still been no verdict handed down in the separate cases against Parma and Chievo. The Ducali, who were promoted after finishing second in Serie B last season, face a charge for an alleged match fixing attempt, for which the prosecutor has requested that two points be deducted from their 2017-18 total. If Parma are found guilty and the sentence is applied, Palermo would be promoted instead - providing a criminal investigation into alleged false accounting doesn’t prevent them. Chievo, meanwhile, are accused of creating around €25m in false profit during transfer dealings with Cesena. In their case the prosecutor has asked for a six point deduction to last year’s Serie A total. If that is applied, the Flying Donkeys would go down and Crotone would be reinstated to the top flight. That means that there are currently only 17 teams registered for the 20 team league, while Palermo and Crotone may actually end up in Serie A. Foggia start the season on -8 points, while theoretically any three of Ternana, Pro Vercelli, Novara, Virtus Entella, Siena or Avellino - if they win their appeal - could be in the league. The Serie B season is due to start on August 25.
Excellent o67! What an absolute shambles! My team is Fiorentina but I do like Palermo's kit and the story of how it originated.
Parma have today been given permission to play in Serie B but will start with a 5 point deduction. Just to add intrigue to their already complicated story, (https://gentlemanultra.com/2018/05/19/parma-calcio-1913-rising-from-the-ashes/) 36 year old forward Emmanuel Calaio has been banned for two years because of match-fixing allegations.
