Throughout this tournament, the Italian soccer scandal has loomed over every match played by the national team. Even as they hoist the World Cup trophy today, this could be the last good moment for Italian soccer for a very long time indeed, especially if a court finds four of its top clubs guilty of match-fixing and forcibly relegates them to lower divisions. That would be the precursor to a very busy summer on the transfer market, as nearly all of the stars at these big clubs would be forced to shop around for new places to play. A New York Times columnist says the soccer scandal hinges on “the power of television to shape commerce and culture.” Indeed, television contracts and the power and money they bring are at the root of the scandal. Juventus, Milan, Fiorentina, and Lazio (the four indicted) have all become bigger clubs as a result of their success and the subsequent cash brought in by lucrative TV deals. It’s a monster that keeps feeding on itself, he says, because no one wants to watch a loser, so teams are constantly doing their utmost to stay on top. The scandal revolves around how executives at these big clubs try to curry favor with Serie A’s referees illegally. For example, wiretapping reveals one GM referring to a certain match official as “our man,” while other evidence sheds light on punishments imposed by club bigwigs on refs who call “bad” games. If the execs are found guilty it’s likely these clubs will be relegated, making for a very interesting season in Italy indeed.