The 10th scudetto and The First Serie B
In the 1970s, Milan won three Italian Cups and its second Cup Winners' Cup during the 72–73 season. Greek referee Christos Michas, who officiated the final, was later sentenced of match fixing in his home country, though no involment by Milan was ever proved. The real goal of the Rossoneri was the tenth Scudetto, which would have awarded the first stella ("star") to the team. In 1972 they reached the semi-final of the UEFA Cup losing to eventual cup winners Tottenham Hotspur. A strong 1972/1973 season provided their first opportunity for the tenth Scudetto, but ultimately proved a failure after a humiliating defeat against Hellas Verona on the last day of the season.
Milan had to wait until 1978/1979 to win their tenth Scudetto, primarily being led by Gianni Rivera who retired from football after this final triumph.
However, the worst was yet to come for the Rossoneri: after the 1979/1980 season, Milan was relegated to Serie B by the Football Federation, together with S.S. Lazio, because of a betting scandal. In 1980–81, Milan easily won the Serie B, and returned to Serie A, where it would suffer its worst season ever, in 1981/1982, being relegated once again.
Read more about this topic: History Of A.C. Milan