We dare not imagine how painful the series of penalty points for accounting fraud must be for Juventus supporters this season. Every month or so in 2023, the Turinese can begin to fully believe in a return to the Champions League, before becoming disillusioned to dive into the soft underbelly of Serie A. We are not going to venture to list all the twists and turns since then. the initial sanction of January 20, with a withdrawal of 15 points for having artificially reduced his losses by realizing capital gains deemed overvalued during the sale of certain players between 2018 and 2021.
But there, after having temporarily recovered these 15 points, a new turning point took place on Monday, just before a huge rout of Adrien Rabiot’s teammates in Empoli (4-1), at the end of the 36th day of the championship. Juve has thus almost seen its chances of qualifying for the next Champions League fly away after having received this time a new penalty of 10 points for these accounting frauds. It therefore then collapsed in Empoli and fell from second to seventh place, five points behind AC Milan (4th), which occupies the last qualifying spot for the C1.
“It’s an abnormal, surreal situation”
Unsurprisingly, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri expressed his annoyance after this new penalty, and he wants “this story to end”. “Let them decide where Juve should be and let them tell us because it is torture, a lack of respect for those who work, the players, the coaches, launched the latter at the microphone of DAZN after the slap suffered in Empoli. It’s incredible. That’s enough ! On the pitch, Juve remain second, that must remain clear. Tonight, we could do better, but the conditions were special. “If Massimiliano Allegri’s style of play has been damn open to criticism for many months, we fully understand his frustration in view of this black Monday for his club.
I have nothing to reproach my players, thus confided the coach of Juve. A quarter of an hour before the match, we were second in the standings, and then we ended up with 59 points (7th). I accept all the criticism, but it’s one thing to play a game as second, five points ahead of AC Milan who were 5th, and another when you have to win, still running behind. I can assure you that it was not an easy situation for them. It’s an abnormal, surreal situation, but they did the maximum. »
Aware that his group “mentally collapsed” on Monday, Massimiliano Allegri knows that the shock against AC Milan, Sunday (8:45 p.m.) during the penultimate day of Serie A, comes at the worst time of the season. .