As part of the sanctions, Juventus was initially docked 30 points to start the 2006-07 Serie B season. This would have made it difficult for Juve to return to Serie A until 2008–09 at the earliest. However, just before the start of the season, the penalty was reduced to nine points on appeal. While Juve still started the season with negative points, it now had a fighting chance of returning to Serie A. They finished the season as league winners, allowing them to be promoted straight back to Serie A after the season. Captain Del Piero claimed the top scorer award with 21 goals.