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Saturday start for Italian appeals

Disciplinary tribunal chief Cesare Ruperto, right, reads the verdict.

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Four Italian clubs found guilty in the Serie A match-fixing scandal -- Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio and AC Milan -- will begin their appeals on July 22, the president of the appeals court has said.

"The appeals process, following the sentences of the sports tribunal, will start on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT)," Piero Sandulli said on Tuesday.

AC Milan escaped relegation, but the other three start next season in Serie B after being found guilty of conspiring with referees and linesmen to rig matches in the 2004/05 season.

All four were thrown out of European competition for the coming season while AC Milan were and ordered to open their next Serie A campaign minus 15 points.

Juventus start in Serie B with a 30-point deficit with Fiorentina minus 13 and Lazio minus 7.

Sandulli defended the work of the sports tribunal, which prohibited witnesses and video evidence, leading to accusations that it failed to give the accused the means to defend themselves.

"I don't agree with those who argue that during the sports tribunal there were limitations in the defense rights.

"We are in a judicial situation that the clubs accepted and agreed to in the moment they signed up (to be part of the Italian Football Federation)."

The sports tribunal opened on June 29 and delivered its verdicts on July 14.

The appeals process is expected to move much faster but is unlikely to finish by July 25, the deadline set by UEFA for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to submit the list of teams to compete in next season's European club competitions.

If the process remains incomplete on July 25, the FIGC commissioner Guido Rossi has said that Italy's list to UEFA would reflect the verdicts of the sports tribunal.

In that case, Juventus, Milan and Fiorentina would lose their places in the Champions League making way for AS Roma, Chievo and Palermo.

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