Parma handed five-point deduction

By Football Italia staff

The FIGC announces Parma will remain in Serie A, albeit with a five-point deduction, while Emanuele Calaio receives a two-year ban.

Italian football’s governing body announced its verdict following investigations into suspect text messages sent by the player prior to least season’s decisive Serie B match against Spezia.

Calaio, a former Spezia player, sent messages to ex-teammates Filippo De Col and Claudio Terzi prior to the final match of the 2017-18 campaign between the teams.

In those, he was alleged to have attempted to influence the outcome of the match by ‘eliciting a reduced effort’ from the two players.

It was reported that Parma, who beat Spezia 2-0 to secure a third straight promotion, were under threat of relegation back to the second tier.

However, following the conclusion of the investigation, it has been confirmed this will not happen – although the club will start the 2018-19 season on -5 points.

Parma had argued that the messages sent by Calaio were a joke. However, the sanctions handed out to the 36-year-old put his future career in doubt.

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