The Italian Federal Appeal Commission has handed out it’s punishments for the match fixing scandal that will see the complexion of Italian football change completely.

The commission found all four teams guilty, with their main charges being sporting fraud and violating fairness and probity, with Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio all being relegated to Italy’s second division, Serie B, with AC Milan not getting relegated, but being deducted points.

Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli is incensed about the harshness of the Bianconeri’s punishment by the Italian Football Federation and has vowed to appeal against the club's relegation to Serie B following the investigation.

The Italian Federal Appeal Commission found Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio and AC Milan all guilty of match-fixing with Juventus being handed out the biggest punishment after the verdict, being relegated to Serie B and having to start next season with a 30-point deduction – in effect keeping them in Serie B for two years - as well as being stripped of the two Scuddetto’s (league titles) they have won in the past two league seasons.

Cobolli Gigli has vowed to fight the punishment saying: “We could have expected relegation to the second division but to be also handed a 30-point deduction is almost like relegation to the third division,” vowing that “We will appeal.”

Fiorentina and Lazio were also relegated to Serie B and will start the campaign with 12 and seven-point deficits respectively, while AC Milan retain their place in Serie A, but will start next season with a 15-point deficit.

AC Milan have also been docked 44 points from their points tally for the last season, so losing vital revenue for placing in the league.

“This verdict is unheard of,” continued Gigli. “We expected a balanced sentence not only in form but in substance, our expectations were different ones.”

As all four teams prepare to lodge their appeals, there is expected to be a mass exodus of top players leaving Italy, such as World Cup captain Fabio Cannavaro and Juventus’ Patrick Vieira and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

AC Milan’s owner, former Italian President Silvio Berlusconi is also furious about the news, with his spokesman Paolo Bonaiuti saying: “This sentence on soccer strikes at nearly 20 million fans.

“Our best players will be forced to play abroad. Well done. Justice served.”

Even Italy's Justice Minister Clemente Mastella spoke publicly against the verdict, saying it mostly punished fans.

“At least I’m not the ‘Sports’ Justice minister. I can’t agree with the sentence,” said Mastella.

“I don't believe that the whole system is rotten. There are some amputations that need to be made but an Italian soccer that wins the World Cup frankly can't be great abroad and less than that at home.”

Many fans and officials, however, said rough justice was needed to purge the sport of chronic corruption. Prime Minister Romano Prodi said that those guilty “have to pay, even if we are world champions”.

The scandal broke in May with the publication of intercepted telephone conversations between a former Juventus official and Italian soccer authorities discussing the appointment of referees for matches.

As well as the clubs, the tribunal barred a number of club officials from participating in football related activities, with different length bans being issued.

The breaking of the scandal in May brought about a mass resignation of the Juventus board, with General Manager Luciano Moggi, who was at the centre of the scandal, being banned for five years and ex-Federation president Franco Carraro for four-and-a-half years for their parts in the scandal.

But Moggi insists that there had been no wrongdoing from Juventus.

“No match was fixed, no referee was pressured,” Moggi was quoted as saying by the Italian media on Saturday.

The demotion of Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina will now see a flurry of transfer activity over the coming weeks, with only Alessandro Del Piero the only big name Juventus player to have confirmed his future to the Turin club.

Juventus had eight players involved in the World Cup final and few, if any, will be expected to stay with the Turin club and start next season in Serie B.

Real Madrid’s new manager Fabio Capello, who guided Juventus to the two successive championships they were stripped of on Friday, has made no secret of his interest in trying to secure both Fabio Cannavaro and fellow Juventus player Brazilian midfielder Emerson.

Fiorentina also immediately announced their intentions to appeal against their relegation to Serie B.

“Fiorentina take note of the verdict given by the Federal Appeal Commission but retains it profoundly unjust,” said a statement on the club's official website.

“Fiorentina wishes to reiterate the absolute correctness of the club and of their own executives.”

All four teams are expected to present their appeals in the coming days. The process has to be carried out quickly in order that it can be completed by July 25 - the UEFA deadline for the Italian football federation to submit their list of teams for next season’s Champions League.

As things stand, it will be Roma, Chievo, Palermo & Inter Milan who all now qualify for the Champions League, but it will all rely on the verdict of the appeals.

There are also implications for Juventus' participation in the G14 group of top European clubs, with their placing in Serie B surely affecting their standing in the top echelons of football for at least two years.