Inter to keep 2006 scudetto - federation

ROME, July 18 (Reuters) - Inter Milan were confirmed as 2006
Serie A champions on Monday after Italy's football federation
(FIGC) said it did not have the authority to revoke the decision
which stripped Juventus of the title.     

Juventus had called for the scudetto (title) to be revoked
following allegations of involvement by Inter in the
"calciopoli" corruption scandal.     

The Turin team won the scudetto in 2004/05 and 2005/06 but
were stripped of the titles for their involvement in the scandal
and demoted to Serie B, with the latter championship handed to
Inter.     

"The federal council (executive committee) has turned down
Juventus' petition regarding the 2006 scudetto with a
declaration that it is not competent to revoke it," said the
FIGC in a statement.     

The FIGC explained the decision by saying that Juventus had
been penalised by a disciplinary board which it did not have the
power to overrule.     

The decision was widely expected, coming after FIGC lawyers
decided this month not to pursue Juventus's claims on the
grounds that any potential charges had expired under the
sporting statute of limitations.     

"I would have wished for Inter to have renounced the statute
of limitations," FIGC president Giancarlo Abete told reporters.

Juventus demanded the 2006 title be taken away from Inter
last May after a Napoli court investigating the case heard
evidence of attempts involving Inter to influence the selection
of referees.     

Juventus threatened to take their cause elsewhere, stating
the ruling was "a long way from re-establishing fairness".     

"The club has given the go ahead for its lawyers to explore
the best means of proceeding in international and administrative
law," the club said in a statement.     

"At the same time the management and its lawyers are
evaluating the economical damages such behaviour has caused."   
 

RULES RESPECTED     

Abete, who led the FIGC executive committee in voting 20 to
one against revoking Inter's title with two abstentions, said
Juventus were free to take their case to other bodies.     

"I don't believe taking it to the courts would be the best
choice but I'd respect the decision," said Abete. "The
credibility of the system is tied to respect for the rules." 

Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were also docked points
for influencing the appointment of favoured referees in the
scandal.     

In May, a Napoli court ruled that Luciano Moggi, Juventus'
former general manager who had been at the centre of the 2006
scandal, should face five years and eight months in jail if
found guilty of corruption.     

Moggi was banned for life by the FIGC last month.     

Since "calciopoli" broke, Juventus, Italy's best supported
club with a record 27 titles have failed to hit their previous
heights, finishing outside the European places in seventh
position last season.     

Inter, meanwhile, have entered another golden age, winning
four more titles since 2006 along with last year's Champions
League and Club World championship.