Iconic Italian club Sampdoria could stay in Serie B, despite relegation earlier in the week.
That’s because Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting that rivals Brescia, who finished above them in the table are set for a four point deduction.
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The conclusion of a 38-game season saw Samp finish 18th – third from bottom – just two years after they were relegated from the Italian top flight.
But now, according to reports in Italy, Brescia, who finished 15th and two points ahead of the Genovese side, are in hot water.
It alleges there was an irregularity with the payment of salaries and contributions by the club – owned by ex-Leeds chief Massimo Cellino.
As such, it’s believed there could be a points deduction and if it is four, then the bottom of the table would have an entirely new look.
The new total would put Brescia down to 18th, above Cittadella and Cosenza as the three relegated teams.
Sampdoria would then be 17th and would face a relegation play-off with Salernitana, with Frosinone moving into Brescia’s vacated 15th spot.
Salernitana and Frosinone had been set to play the first leg of their play-off on Monday but this has now been postponed.
When the new match between Sampdoria and Salernitana would take place is yet to be determined with any punishment for Brescia not officially meted out.
Meanwhile, there is also the possibility of a Brescia appeal complicating the matter.
Sampdoria are an iconic club in Italian football having won the Scudetto in 1991.
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That side was propelled to glory by legendary striker Gianluca Vialli, with a host of heroes alongside him, including Roberto Mancini, Attilio Lombardo, Pierto Vierchowod, and Gianluca Pagliuca.
The triumph followed victory in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1990, hot on the heels of two consecutive Coppas Italia.
However, they have had tumultuous times since then.
They were relegated in 1999, spending four seasons in Serie B before they could return to the top flight.
A single season in Serie B followed again in 2011 as they struggled for consistency.
Upon their return to Serie A in 2012 they had been a mid-table side, occasionally flirting with relegation.
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In 2022/23, though, they finished bottom of the top-flight and after a seventh place finish in the second division last-term now find themselves on the brink of Serie C for the first time ever.
