In 1980, he was arrested under the charge of participating in the national footballing betting scandal, and he was banned from the Italian championship until 1982. Lazio had been demoted to the Serie B following their involvement in the scandal, and upon his return to competitive football, Giordano became the Serie B top goalscorer during the 1982–83 season, helping his team to finish in second place behind Milan to re-gain promotion to Serie A the following season. He is currently Lazio's all-time top goalscorer in the Coppa Italia.