Juventus and the other Italian Serie A sides found guilty of taking part in a vast match-fixing ring last night had their sentences significantly lightened.
An appeals panel here ruled that Juve should be relegated to Serie B, as decided earlier this month, but with barely half the 30-points handicap originally imposed for the coming season.
Juve are still stripped of the Serie A titles they won in the past two seasons, will have to play three matches at a neutral venue and have been fined €120,000 (£85,000). But the sports judges' reduction in the points handicap means that Juventus could be back in the top division by the start of the 2007-08 season.
Milan, who were not facing relegation from Serie A, are back in the CL this season, albeit in the preliminary round. The threatened docking of 44 points from last season, which would have removed Milan from the qualifying places for Europe, was cut to 30.
The relegations of Fiorentina and Lazio were revoked but penalties of 30 points each from last season's table means neither is in Europe next season. The two sides will remain in Serie A but will start with hefty handicaps of 19 and 11 points respectively. Italy's Uefa Cup places will instead be taken by Palermo, Livorno and Parma, the latter finishing a single point ahead of Fiorentina in the revised table.
Appeal verdicts
Fiorentina Reprieved of relegation to Serie B but will be docked 19 points in this season's Serie A.
Lazio Reprieved of relegation to Serie B but will be docked 11 points in this season's Serie A.
Juventus Remain relegated to Serie B but points deduction cut from 30 to 17 this season.
Milan Remain, as before, in Serie A but points deficit is reduced from 15 to eight.