Trapani, other 5 penalty points (but avoids exclusion from the championship): now direct salvation is a mirage

New blow for Trapani Calcio, at the peak of a troubled season. The National Federal Court has imposed a 5-point penalty to be served immediately and a 1,500 euro fine on the club. The club's top executives have also been affected: six months of disqualification and a 1,000 euro fine for Valerio Antonini, Vito Giacalone, and Andrea Oddo.

The measure, resulting from the referral on January 3, arises from the failure to pay, within the deadlines, two installments related to Irpef withholdings and Inps contributions. The deadlines, referring to the months of August and September 2025, were included in a payment plan agreed upon with the Revenue Agency the previous May.

For sports justice, failure to comply with federal deadlines constitutes a serious violation that undermines the fairness of the tournament, and the delay amounts to an omission. However, the most extreme hypothesis was averted: exclusion from Serie C. The Figc Prosecutor had considered expulsion for recidivism, but in court, the defense presented a decisive element: the suspension of tax bills granted by the local Tax Justice Court. This “suspension” effectively “froze” the tax claims pending the merits judgment, leading the panel to opt for a severe but not destructive punishment. Thus, a seismic event in Group C was avoided, which would have required recalculations and retroactive annulments for other clubs.

However, the bill now becomes extremely heavy: the current -5 is added to the previous -8 (for the use of non-existent tax credits) and -7 (related to administrative deadlines not met last October), for a total of -20.

The management maintains a combative stance: Antonini denounces alleged “persecutions” and promises further legal actions. The defense has also invoked the principle of ne bis in idem, but for the sports judges, the ongoing non-compliance constitutes a separate and sanctionable violation.

Now the Sicilian club is called to act on three decisive fronts. On the field, the gap with rivals is widening: the playouts are just around the corner and salvation will require an almost flawless end to the season (and the latest results do not seem to be a good omen). On the economic front, regularization of payments and the maintenance of installments are essential to avoid new referrals. Finally, from a legal perspective, certainty of deadlines prevails over any excuse or management complexity.