Virtus Entella and Ascoli will officially take the place of Catania and Teramo in this season’s Serie B.

The trial of the ‘goal trains’ scandal resulted in both Catania and Teramo being relegated as a penalty, and Lega Serie B have today released a statement confirming their replacements.

Ascoli and Virtus Entella have been promoted to Serie B to replace Catania and Teramo.

Both clubs have been involved in a match-fixing scandal, with the former demoted to Lega Pro and deducted 12 points, and Teramo denied promotion and demoted to Serie D.

That left two spaces in Serie B, and today it has been officially confirmed by the FIGC that Ascoli will replace Teramo and Virtus Entella will substitute for Catania.

Catania remain in Lega Pro but from -9 points rather than -12 after their appeal in the match-fixing trial.

The Sicilians were demoted to Lega Pro after only managing to stay in Serie B thanks to some late victories that proved to be suspicious.

Initially they were also docked 12 points, but that was reduced to nine on appeal.

Ex-President Antonino Pulvirenti gave up his appeal, so will be banned from all football activity for five years.

The FIGC has announced it will hear Catania’s appeal against demotion to Lega Pro on Thursday.

The Elefanti have been demoted from Serie B and slapped with a 12-point penalty after a match-fixing scandal, but are appealing the ruling.

Catania have been relegated to Lega Pro with a 12 point penalty for their part in a match-fixing scandal, after a trial at the federal court. 

The sentence arrived this morning as the culmination of the ‘Goal Trains’ scandal, after Elefanti President Antonio Pulvirenti had admitted to paying €100,000 to fix matches.

Over 100 figures have been deferred to the Disciplinary Commission, but Catania and Teramo risk demotion for sporting fraud.

The recent police investigation into potential match-fixing and irregularities has now spread to the sporting justice system.

The FIGC prosecutors deferred over 100 people to the Disciplinary Commission, including 36 clubs, in Serie B and Lega Pro.

Of these clubs, seven are accused of direct responsibility, which would see them automatically demoted if found guilty.

Como won the promotion play-off and are back in Serie B after 11 years, joining Salernitana, Novara and Teramo.

Gianluca Zambrotta’s team took the step up from Lega Pro thanks to a 2-0 aggregate victory over Bassano.

The decisive goals were both scored by Simone Andrea Ganz, the son of former Inter and Milan striker Maurizio Ganz.

Como were in Serie A back in 2001-02, but fell to two consecutive relegations and went bankrupt in December 2004, so had to start again from Serie D.

Police have made 17 arrests in connection with a match-fixing investigation, with the Savona-Teramo match under suspicion.

Teramo won promotion from the Lega Pro B this term, sealing the deal with a 2-0 victory away at Savona.

However, ANSA reports that investigators in Catanzaro suspect the leadership of the Biancorossi of paying €30,000 to fix the outcome of the match in their favour.

Club President Luciano Campitelli insisted there was nothing in the allegations, and still expects to be in Serie B next season.