It seems that no season can come to an end in Italy without an aftermath which continues to undermine the credibility of football in this country.

Once again, May has brought with it a series of accusations levelled against players and clubs which will have their repercussions on the perpetrators but, most of all, it is the sport that will be hurt the most.

It is no wonder that over the past years Italian football has lost much of the aura that surrounded it not so long ago. For years, Italy was considered as the place to be in terms of football. It is no longer so, as England, Spain and Germany have overtaken Italy in this sense, and France and Portugal are quickly catching up too.

Financial difficulties have helped in no small way to bring Italian football down on its knees, but it is these regular scandals that continue to rock the foundations of the sport.

This year it is no exception, as several clubs are once again embroiled in a murky situation that could change the whole scenario. With top teams like Napoli, Lazio and Udinese involved, it is possible that there could be changes to the final classification as we know it.

Added to this, champions Juventus have also been indirectly entangled in the whole issue because its coach Antonio Conte and two of its players, Bonucci and Pepe, have also been mentioned in the investigation – albeit when they were employees of other clubs. Conte was coach at Siena in the Serie B, and the club from Tuscany is risking relegation because eight of its matches are said to have been pre-arranged. One national team player, Domenico Criscito, has already been dropped out of the Euro 2012 squad for his alleged involvement.

To make it worse, goalkeeper Buffon’s declarations have opened a can of worms. It is not good for the sport that the national team captain comes out with the statements he made about clubs going for draws not to hurt each other.

One verdict is already known – Atalanta, which last year started with an eight-point deficit, will once again start with a handicap of two points, while its former captain Doni has been suspended for two years.

But this is only the start.

The investigation will lead to other decisions. To hope that this will be the last time this happens in Italy is probably too much.