ITALY: SOCCER / FOOTBALL - Fans greet the Juventus team as they arrive at Rimini Stadium for their Serie B match after their enforced demotion following match-fixing allegations.

Three World Cup winners will be on the field for a Serie B game in the seaside town of Rimini on Saturday (September 9) as Italy's most successful club Juventus begin life in the second division -- already 17 points adrift at the foot of the table. World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon, the most expensive goalkeeper in the world and arguably the best, will be between the posts with fellow Azzurri players Mauro Camoranesi and Alessandro Del Piero looking for goals. Juventus were relegated from Serie A for the first time in their history by a sports tribunal which investigated match-fixing allegations and had 17 penalty points imposed on them for the campaign. Following the relegation and the stripping of the last two titles won by the club, Juventus lost their coach Fabio Capello who moved to Spain's Real Madrid taking captain Fabio Cannavaro and Brazilian midfielder Emerson with him. Former Juventus and France midfielder Didier Deschamps took over at the club with the hope that the appeals process would restore their top flight status. That failed to happen leaving the former Monaco coach with the prospect of a season-long struggle to regain Serie A status but Deschamps says he has no regrets. Rimini's stadium holds just under 10,000 but Deschamps expects an intense atmosphere at venues across the country as many fans get a first chance to see their clubs take on the 27-times Italian champions. Hundreds of Juventus fans slept outside the stadium on Thursday night hoping to snap up some of the few hundred tickets available. Although Juve have lost several of their top players such as Cannavaro, Emerson, Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Italy defender Gianluca Zambrotta and France internationals Patrick Vieira and Lilian Thuram, they have hung on to a surprisingly healthy number. As well as Buffon, Camoranesi and Del Piero, French striker David Trezeguet and Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved have remained along with Croatian defenders Robert Kovac and Igor Tudor. The strength of Deschamp's squad, which is packed with top flight and international experience, means many think they can overturn their 17-point deficit and make it back into Serie A at the first attempt. But Rimini's Argentine born midfielder Adrian Ricchiuti believes his side can give Juve the worst start to life in the second tier. Fans gathered early for the match and outside Rimini's stadium young Rimini fan Luca Ottaviani was less than sympathetic to Juve's plight. "Passing from the San Siro, from one of the greatest stadiums in the world to here, I think that's the worst thing that could have happened to them," he said cheerfully. But Juve's travelling fans were staying loyal despite the relegation. "I'll always be faithful to the team, I'll always follow my captain", said Michele Brazano, paying tribute to captain Alessandro Del piero, who chose to stay with team. Andrea Intini summed it up, saying: "Sadly we are in Serie B, but our faith cannot be demoted. If you are a true supporter you follow your team everywhere." And the team received no respect from the Rimini fans when the Juve coach arrived. "Thieves, you only know how to steal," they chanted.

ITN Source | September 10, 2006

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