Italian football has entered the doldrums again, and this time, it involves some 52 players from Serie B who turned up at Day One of the corruption trial in Rome yesterday. On a wider scale, 22 football clubs, including newly-promoted sides Atalanta, Siena and Novara are currently being investigated for their alleged involvement in a worldwide player betting ring.

Liverpool target Eljero Elia looks set to snub a move to Anfield in favour of joining Schalke, reports talkSPORT.
The 25-year-old Dutch international winger is a long-term target for the Premier League side, despite enduring a difficult campaign with Juventus after arriving in Turin in an £8million deal from Hamburg last summer.

By AVI CREDITOR

LANDOVER, Md. -- Michael Bradley has had two of his best, most influential games in any uniform for club or country in recent wins for the national team against Italy and Scotland. He was able to turn in those performances after growing as a player during a standout season in Serie A for Chievo Verona, taking the road less traveled for U.

STARTERS
See you all the Sweetwater for the Minnesota Stars tonight and the USA tomorrow night!
-Or make sure you find a good place to watch them both somewhere else if you don't live in the Twin Cities.
STORY OF THE DAY
20 people have been arrested over the past 2 days for match-fixing in Italy including Lazio captain and Italy midfielder Stefano Mauri.

The big names continue to be implicated in the latest alleged match-fixing scandal in Italy.

Fresh off guiding Juventus to an undefeated season, coach Antonio Conte is now reportedly under investigation for wrongdoing while he was in charge of Siena in 2010-2011. Conte denied all allegations in comments made to the Associated Press, saying, "My story speaks clearly for itself.

Photo: David Cooper, courtesy of Toronto Star

Breaking: Real Madrid will play Celtic on August 11 at the Linc.

Philadelphia Union

The Union host Rochester Rhinos tonight in US Open Cup play at PPL Park. Here's a preview from the Rhinos and another from Philly Soccer News.

Stefano Mauri, Lazio captain is in the dock for accepting money to fix results

In case you have not been following it, we have the makings of an enormous match fixing scandal enveloping Italian football which might make the original Calciopoli look like a storm in a teacup.

14 players have been arrested which include Lazio captain Stefano Mauri and former Genoa midfielder Omar Milanetto, now with Padua.

Italian football continues to be plagued by match fixing scandals as Juventus manager Antonio Conte is being investigated.

The recent developments saw Italian police make several arrests after sweeping through the Azzurri (National Team) training facility. Some of the arrests including Lazio captain Stefano Mauri and caused Domenico Criscito to be withdrawn from the 23 man Euro 2012 squad.

Italy's preparation for Euro 2012 have been thrown into disarray after a police raid this morning at their team camp. The raid was part of "Last Bet", an investigation into match-fixing in Italian soccer.

As a result of the raid, Italian defender Domenico Criscito has withdrawn from the country's Euro 2012 squad.

A finire tra gli indagati, nell'ambito della "new last bet", l'inchiesta sul calcioscommesse partita parecchie settimane fa da Cremona, sono anche il terzino dello Zenit e della Nazionale, Domenico Criscito, e l'allenatore della Juventus, Antonio Conte (nelle scorse ore tanti arresti eccellenti, tra i quali quelli di Milanetto e Mauri).

La firma è arrivata. Ieri pomeriggio, in Corso Galileo Ferraris, nella sede della Juventus, Antonio Conte ha firmato il prolungamento del contratto che lo legher agli amati colori bianconeri fino al 2015. Un matrimonio che continua, con soddisfazione di tutte le parti in causa. Il tecnico leccese, alla presenza del presidente Andrea Agnelli e dell'adContinua a leggere .

As we wave goodbye to another season of Serie A, Juventus can reminisce a wonderful campaign in which they claimed Scudetto glory and lost just once in all competitions. It may have ended on a sad note with the farewell of Alessandro Del Piero and the Coppa Italia final defeat to Napoli, but the work of Antonio Conte and all involved is to be commended.

As we wave goodbye to another season of Serie A, Juventus can reminisce a wonderful campaign in which they claimed Scudetto glory and lost just once in all competitions. It may have ended on a sad note with the farewell of Alessandro Del Piero and the Coppa Italia final defeat to Napoli, but the work of Antonio Conte and all involved is to be commended.

Napoli's players lifted the Coppa Italia while Juventus players and fans were left to wonder what would have happened had coach Antonio Conte started Gianluigi Buffon, Simone Pepe and Mirko Vucinic.

The Bianconeri were aiming to finish the season without a defeat in official matches but they failed in the last hurdle.

szólj hozzá: Nap

This well maybe Edinson Cavani's last match for Napoli. If it is, he made sure the fans remember him fondly. He made that penalty happen heading on a long throw into the path of the cutting Ezeqiel Lavezzi who was upended by Marco Storari. The Uruguayan striker was on the mark with the spot kick.

Forse la Juventus è rimasta inconsciamente a festeggiare lo scudetto, ma non si può non riconoscere che il Napoli si è giocato la finale con un atteggiamento mentale più determinato rispetto ai bianconeri. E' stato anche merito dei partenopei se la Juve di ieri sera ha vissuto momenti d'impaccio.

Nulla è impossibile, ma quanto meno è curioso.

Tra un numero consistente di gare indiziate di combine, di squadre implicate e passate al setaccio della Procura ordinaria e adesso del Procuratore Palazzi, l'unico allenatore in odor di inciucio è Antonio Conte, l'attuale tecnico campione d'Italia della Juventus.

Juventus 2011-12 has etched its place in history. Just like Antonio Conte wanted, his side can only be matched but never surpassed. The Bianconeri completed a remarkable 38-game unbeaten season by conquering Atalanta 3-1 and then watched as outgoing captain Alessandro Del Piero lifted the Serie A trophy high into the Turin sky Having secured the Scudetto and record, Antonio Conte's mind is now.

Juventus 2011-12 has etched its place in history. Just like Antonio Conte wanted, his side can only be matched but never surpassed. The Bianconeri completed a remarkable 38-game unbeaten season by conquering Atalanta 3-1 and then watched as outgoing captain Alessandro Del Piero lifted the Serie A trophy high into the Turin sky Having secured the Scudetto and record, Antonio Conte's mind is now.

Juventus wrapped up their historical season with a routine 3-1 win against Atalanta today. The win ensured that the new Italian champions finished their 38-game season unbeaten.

It was a day of celebration for the newly anointed champions, and Luca Marrone's tenth-minute opener set the tone for a momentous day.

Juventus defeated Atalanta 3-1 at the Juventus Stadium to finish the season unbeaten, in addition to completing the Scudetto celebrations in front of their own fans in Turin today.

Midfielder Luca Marrone opened the scoring in the 10th minute for the new Italian champions, who were crowned as such last week following AC Milan's 4-2 defeat to Inter in the derby.

Liverpool are lining up a summer move for Juventus outcast Milos Krasic.
The Serbian winger has made just seven Serie A appearances this season after falling out of favour with manager Antonio Conte.
Krasic was expected to leave Turin in January but Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp had a loan bid turned down by the player.

By Max Grieve

Six years ago in Bari, the directors watched on as Juventus celebrated their 29th Scudetto. Celebrations moved from beneath the stadium to the team bus, which Luciano Moggi boarded in tears. The players too, though they appeared to hide it well, must have known what was to come.

La vittoria di uno scudetto è la vittoria di tutto un collettivo. E per tale si intende non solo il tecnico o il goleador, ma della societ con i dirigenti, i loro collaboratori, lo staff medico, e tutto l'entourage che circonda gli atleti. In tutti i modi c'è un calciatore di questa terza stella che penso che meriti una citazione particolare: Andrea Pirlo.

Sogni d'oro dunque a Juve e a Real che vincono Serie A e Liga e spengono le brame di leadership di Milan e Barcellona. Conte segue quindi il peana di Mourinho, mentre Allegri, dopo Guardiola, si ritrova con l'ultimo petalo della margherita del campionato che proclama, inaspettatamente, il suo non m'ama.

Juventus will finish on top of the league table regardless of the result of Week 38. The Bianconeri defeated Cagliari 2-0 while Milan lost 2-4 to Inter to confirm Juve as this season's champions. Below is a list of the most important factors behind Juve's triumph:

a) Andrea Pirlo: The Italy midfielder has been perhaps Juve's most influential player this season.

Italian fans lived through a dramatic Match Day which concluded with Juventus winning the league title after bitter rivals Inter clinched a precious derby win over Milan.

At one point, both Juve and the Rossoneri were ahead meaning the title would not be decided until the final week of fixtures.

szólj hozzá: ca - ju

Mirko Vucinic's cool finish and Marco Borriello's strike ensured Juve's 28th Scudetto as Inter played spoiler in the San Siro derby. It was their first Scudetto since the 2006 Calciopoli scandal saw them stripped off their title and resulting in relegation.

The title was also coach Antonio Conte's first and it came in his debut season with Juventus.

Juventus are champions of Italy for the first time since the Calciopoli scandal. They beat Cagliari 2-0 in Trieste with a Vucinic strike and an own-goal by Canini to get the party started a week before the end of the season. It is Juventus's 28th league title, (30th according to some of their fans who still count the two Scudettos struck off for the Caciopoli scandal).

It was a crazy, PAZZO, night for Juventus fans last night as they swarmed onto the pitch and celebrated their Scudetto win at the Nereo Rocco stadium. Unfortunately for Milan, the dream was over when they fell to a 2-4 defeat to Inter in the derby, a match that was drama-filled right to the very end.

La Juventus de Turín ganó este domingo su título número 28º de campeón de Italia, ocho años después del último y seis tras el escándalo de partidos amañados del ''Calciopoli'', gracias a un plantel con alma de ganador, liderado por jugadores emblemáticos como Gianluigi Buffon.La victoria contra el Cagliari (2-0), acompañada de la derrota del Milan en el derbi contra el Inter (4-2), hace que los turineses ya no puedan ser alcanzados por los ''rossoneri'', cuando sólo queda una jornada para el final del campeonato en el ''Calcio''.

Juventus drew 1-1 with Lecce in Round 36 of Serie A to see their gap at the top reduced to just one point with two matches remaining. An awful Gianluigi Buffon error gave Andrea Bertolacci a simple goal with five minutes remaining, cancelling out an early opener from Claudio Marchisio. Paolo De Ceglie had to be substituted almost instantly with a muscular complaint and Martin Caceres came on in.

TweetAC Milan kept the race for the Scudetto alive after a 2-0 win over Atalanta whilst leaders Juventus could only muster a draw at home to Lecce. Goals by Sulley Muntari and then an injury-time header from Robihno boosted their hopes of retaining the Serie A title with leaders Juve slipping up. Antonio Conte's men [.

Looks like the Serie A will go down to the wire after last night's round of fixtures. Leaders Juventus were held to a 1-1 home draw thanks thanks to an 85th minute goal from Luis Fernando Muriel Fruto after Juventus no 1 Gigi Buffon's error.The draw coupled with Milan's 2-0 win over Atalanta means that the gap between the two rivals was reduced to just 1 point with 2 games left to play.

Juventus remain on course to win their first Scudetto in 9 years after they beat Novara 4-0 yesterday to remain 3 points clear of their nearest challengers AC Milan with 3 matches left to play.

A brace from in form striker Mirko Vucinic and strikes from Marco Boriello and Arturo Vidal were enough to see off a weak Novara side that failed to provide any real threat.

TweetJuventus beat Novara 4-0 to stay top of Serie A with just three games to go although AC Milan's 4-1 win over Siena kept the pressure on Antonio Conte's men. Still undefeated after 35 games and looking, week-by-week like potential champions, Juventus' dream run to the Serie A title looks ever more real although reigning [.

Juventus made a significant step towards clinching their first Serie A title in 7 years with a resounding 4-0 win over AS Roma at the Juventus Stadium to move 3 points clear at the top of the Serie A table.

Juve's win stretches their unbeaten run in the league to 33 which matches Fiorentina's record set in the 1955/56 season and just one short of Milan's leading record of 34 set back in the 1991/1992 season.

Five hyperrealities to dwarf your weekend...
1) So who will referee the Manchester Derby? Webb, Marriner, Atkinson and Clattenburg are away on a training weekend for Euro 2012. Red Walton has been forced to retire early. Lee Mason has been removed from refereeing two of the last three Man City games.

"We're going to lose this match," said a Romanista prior to last night's Juve-Roma meeting at the Juventus stadium. "I know it." Unfortunately, it wasn't a case of that sinking feeling you get prior to a derby. She was right about the loss and it wasn't very kind to her either- a 4-0 drubbing of Antonio Conte's men!

Derided when signed from Udinese and not expected to play a major role under Antonio Conte, Simone Pepe has overcome obstacles during his stint with Juventus. Pepe's knack for crucial goals, his versatility and his willingness has aided Juve and brought about a comparison with former winger Angelo Di Livio.