Serie A Weekend Wrap: Palermo Relegated and Controversy Surrounds Milan vs. Roma

It was a rather unsavoury weekend of action in Italy that will be remembered for the actions off the pitch rather than on it.

At the San Siro on Sunday, Roma visited Milan in a game that would have a significant impact on the European places.

Milan needed a victory to guarantee that final Champions League place, while Roma were searching for points to secure a Europa League place ahead of the Coppa Italia final against Lazio in two weeks.

The football was of a relatively poor standard, and the game changed when Mario Balotelli was cautioned for a late tackle and several Rossoneri players surrounded the referee to protest the decision.

Sulley Muntari vented his disagreement too strongly and tried to physically prevent the referee from taking his cards out of his pocket; subsequently, the Ghanaian was shown a red card to end his season.

Throughout the match, Roma's away contingent goaded Milan star Balotelli with racial insults. The referee, Antonio Damato, was forced to suspend the game at one point, and a message was directed at the Giallorossi ultras to stop their racial insults or the game would be abandoned.

Francesco Totti would end a rather unsavoury evening by elbowing former teammate Philippe Mexes in the head, and Damato would brandish a second red card of the evening to even up the sides at 10 apiece.

The game finished 0-0, giving Fiorentina hope they can steal third place if Milan drop points at Siena next Sunday, while the Viola must win at Pescara in a round of fixtures that will all kick off simultaneously.

The other significant news this weekend was the inevitable relegation of Palermo to Serie B after Fiorentina defeated them 1-0 thanks to a Luca Toni goal. The Rosanero will now have a tough road ahead if they hope to meet their owner Maurizio Zamparini's bold promise that the Sicilian club would see Champions League football by 2016.

The ramifications for Palermo are yet to be known, but there are numerous players that were only recently acquired who will probably look to force a move away due to a reluctance to play in Italy's second tier.

So the three sides to be relegated have been confirmed; joining Palermo are Siena and Pescara, while Juventus were confirmed as champions last week, and Napoli also secured the runner-up place to seal an automatic route into the Champions League.

While Fiorentina still hope to capitalise on a Milan slip-up in Siena, in all probability, they will fall short and have to make do with the consolation prize of a place in the Europa League—the preseason target for Vincenzo Montella's side.

The last place available in the league is occupied by Udinese, who are on a hot streak of seven consecutive victories after Antonio Di Natale's double helped the Zebrette come from behind against Atalanta at the Friuli, with Toto just falling short in the race for the capocannoniere.

Di Natale has 22 goals this season, while Edinson Cavani has struck 28 times, which has probably been enough to earn him the Player of the Year Award.

Attentions in Naples will now look toward El Matador's future and where he will play his football next season, with a host of clubs keen to take the 25-year-old away from the Partenopei.

An emotional Cavani appeared to wave goodbye to the Napoli fans after helping them to come back against Siena at the San Paolo, with Marek Hamsik's stoppage-time winner enough to collect three points for a team filled with plenty of squad players.

Lazio are picking up some form at the right stage of the season and will be ready to capitalise on any mistake that Udinese make at Inter Milan next weekend. A win for Vladimir Petković's side at Cagliari could be enough to secure a Europa League spot before the Coppa Italia final, meaning that defeat to the city rivals at the Olimpico would not leave them completely empty-handed.

Three successive victories leave the Biancocelesti in a confident mood ahead of a Derby della Capitale to end all previous derbies. Quite simply, Rome will not be the same again once this historic cup final is decided, as one club will have eternal bragging rights over the other in the first-ever cup final shared between the two rivals.

In some of the more meaningless games across the peninsula, several big-money transfer targets added to their value with goals.

Cyril Thereau, who is thought to be close to moving to Fiorentina, and Alessio Cerci, who is being chased by Milan according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, were the star attractions in Verona in a 1-1 draw, with both talismans finding the back of the net.

Victor Ibarbo did little to detract his admirers at the Juventus Stadium on Saturday with a stunning goal that demonstrated his incredible athleticism. The Cagliari star is being monitored by Inter Milan, according to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport. Juve eventually equalised, but the Isolani held on for a point to further boost their end to season, which has seen them successfully avoid relegation.

Alejandro Gomez, another Inter target, who recently declared how "flattered" he was to be linked with the Nerazzurri, was the difference between Catania and Pescara, with the Argentine scoring the only goal at the Angelo Massimino.

So with little left to decide in next weekend's final round, calcio fans will be hoping for some drama in Siena and Pescara as Milan look to seal the deal for that much-coveted Champions League place, while Francesco Guidolin will look to put the finishing touches on another magnificent season for Udinese with victory and Europa League qualification at an Inter side that look as if they are desperate for their holidays.

Roma against Napoli will also be one to keep an eye on. Despite both teams' fate being decided in the league, the outstanding talent on show and the intriguing subplot of the Giallorossi looking to take Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri to the capital this summer will be more than enough to whet the appetite of calcio fans to finish what has been another thoroughly enjoyable season.