Serie A giants Juventus hit with 15-point deduction: Details here
Juventus have been docked 15 points post an investigation into the club's past transfer dealings, as confirmed by Italy's football federation (FIGC). The Serie A side was accused of fixing their balance sheets with artificial gains from club transfers. Juventus, who were seated third, have now dropped to the 10th position post the penalty. They are outside the contention for European tournaments. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
Juventus alongside 10 other clubs, including Serie A table-toppers Napoli, were cleared of the accounting investigations in April 2022. The investigation was then reopened in December after the federal prosecutor appealed the ruling and new evidence was obtained. The reopening of the trial concerned nine of the original 11 clubs that were investigated, including Juventus and Sampdoria, besides 52 executives at those clubs.
Prosecutors initially recommended a nine-point deduction
As per Sky Sports, prosecutors had initially recommended a nine-point deduction, stating that the club falsely inflated the value of players and misrepresented losses. Meanwhile, Juventus have denied resorting to any wrongdoing and confirmed they will appeal the decision.
Juventus hit with a list of suspensions
Juventus' former sports director, Fabio Paratici, has been banned for 30 months from Italian football. He currently serves as the managing director of football at Premier League club Spurs. Former Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and former chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene have been banned for 24 months. Former vice-president Pavel Nedved (8 months) and current sports director Federico Cherubini (16 months) face suspensions as well.
The officials intend to appeal their bans
The officials involved intend to appeal the decision to CONI (Italian Olympic Committee). CONI will decide whether the decision is correct or not correct. However, it cannot reduce or change any of the sanctions.
The entire Juventus board resigned in November 2022
The entire Juventus board, including Agnelli, collectively resigned in November last year. The resignation came right after Juventus' financial statements came under heavy scrutiny by prosecutors and Italian market regulator Consob for false accounting and market manipulation. Surprisingly, Juventus reported an annual loss of £220m for last season - a record-breaking fee in the club's history.
Juventus facing an investigation by UEFA
Juventus are underway an investigation from UEFA over potential breaches of its club licensing and financial fair play regulations which were announced last month. This isn't the first time Juventus have been embroiled in controversy. Juventus were relegated to Serie B in 2006 after their involvement in the "Calciopoli" refereeing scandal. They were also stripped of two Serie A titles (2004-05 and 2005-06).
Juventus reached new heights under Agnelli
Under Agnelli, Juventus won nine consecutive Serie A titles. The Old Lady, however, finished fourth in the 2021-22 season. Agnelli was one of the linchpins behind the European Super League in 2021. He subsequently resigned from his post as chairman of the European Club Commission. On Wednesday, Gianluca Ferrero replaced him as Juve's chairman after being approved at a Juventus shareholders meeting.
Juventus' performance in Serie A 2022-23
Juventus have managed 11 wins in Serie A 2022-23 (D4 L3). They have scored 27 goals and conceded on 12 occasions. The Bianconeri now rank above Bologna, thanks to their better Goal Difference. Their next game is against Atalanta on January 23 (1:15 AM IST).
