It is not true that any players have been implicated in the current football scandal ongoing in Italy. The scandal has centered around a few club owners and football officials, who have now been sanctioned for attempting to fix matches. While it may seem impossible to try to fix the outcome of a match without the cooperation of the players, these attempts were astonishingly crude and of highly questionable effectiveness. They involved attempts to try and get certain referees (perceived variously as either particularly sympathetic or unsympathetic by the owners) assigned to certain matches, in the hope that such selection could affect the outcome of some games. The apparent ringleaders of this plot were the former general manager of Turin's Juventus, Luciano Moggi, and Antonio Giraudo, the former chief executive of Juventus. Italian authorities became aware of the possible fraud early on, and launched a massive nationwide investigation of Italian football. Phones of many clubs were tapped, and one club's business offices were raided by police with the seizure of some documents. Many players, referees, and football officials were questioned by magistrates, but no players have been implicated for wrong-doing. Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus's popular goalkeeper, was questioned by magistrates regarding alleged illegal betting. He was accused of betting 2 million euros (about $2.5 million) on sporting events, although this turned out not to be on soccer games in Italy. Buffon has said he stopped making the bets when new rules came into effect this season which banned such wagers.
Four club organizations eventually became caught in the massive sting: Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina, and AC Milan. Although this is the biggest fraud investigation in recent Italian history, the very crudeness of the attempts at match-fixing, the lack of involvement by players, and the success of the Italian team in the World Cup led many to believe that the Italian football federation's sanctions would be moderate. Analysts expected Juventus to be knocked down to Serie B, and the other clubs to be docked points for the start of next season. Instead, Judge Cesare Ruperto demoted three of the clubs (Juventus, Fiorentina, and Lazio) to Serie B, docked Juventus an additional 30 points (the equivalent of 10 losses!), docked Fiorentina an additional 15 points, and Lazio an additional 7. In addition, Juventus' championships of 2004-5 and 2005-6 have been revoked, and club administrators Moggi and Giraudo have been banned from the sport for life. AC Milan was allowed to stay in Serie A, but will be docked 15 points at the start of next season, and is barred from participating in the European Champions Cup.
Moving a club from Serie A to Serie B is very nearly the American equivalent of knocking a professional baseball team into the minor leagues. Although there are provisions for a team to rise from Serie B to A, it is questionable that any of these clubs can now survive. Many Italians have been surprised by the severity of this justice, especially since only 21 people in total were found guilty of any crimes, and it is questionable to what extent the bumbling efforts of these few may have finally affected any outcomes.
Especially sad is the case of Lazio, which crawled out of bankruptcy last year, fought against incredible odds with astonishing heart, and battled tenaciously to an improbable sixth place finish in Serie A. Lazio fans have protested the court's ruling, as they feel it is the fans who are being penalized, not the handful of wealthy owners responsible for the scandal. The severe penalties meted out to Lazio were for the actions of just one member of the Lazio club, owner Claudio Lotito, who was suspended for three and one-half years.
The damage to Italian Serie A football has been severe. Italian team captain Cannavaro, who played for Juventus, has already signed with Real Madrid, and goalie Buffon is expected to follow. It will be many years before Serie A recovers. The severity of the sentences will likely ultimately aid this recovery, however, not impede it. Perhaps that is why lead prosecutor Stefano Palazzi had been advocating even more severe penalties than those ultimately imposed.
It is not the fault of the players that any of this happened, however. The players have been a credit to their nation, and have played with passion and skill – even if they are all idiots because of their nationality, as Arcenius has asserted without any hint of racism. As The New York Times reported with characteristic elegance on 9 July, “Throughout Italy's ride to the World Cup finals, the team has produced moments of beauty, grit and creativity before a cumulative worldwide television audience estimated at 30 billion or more.”
All 4 clubs have had there punishments reduced on appeal. What a surprise 
See:
