Series A
Juventus victory in court: point deduction withdrawn for the time being
Juventus Turin was able to celebrate a preliminary success off the pitch. photo
© Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse/dpa
15 points were deducted from Juventus for balance sheet tricks in January. Italy’s highest sports court has now withdrawn the penalty for the time being. However, Juve cannot breathe a sigh of relief yet.
Juventus Turin got back the 15 points in Serie A that were deducted for accounting fraud for the time being.
The Supreme Sports Court of Italy’s National Olympic Committee (Coni) ruled that the case must be re-tried by the Football Federation’s judiciary. This was reported by various media in the evening. The judges thus granted a complaint by the record champion.
The case is about the fact that Juve is said to have fudged the books for years through fictitious market evaluations of its professionals in transfers. The supreme court of the FIGC association therefore deducted 15 points from Turin in the current championship in January – this penalty has now been suspended for the time being.
From seven to three
As a result, Juventus climbs from seventh to third place in the table and pushes Milan clubs AC and Inter – who face each other in the semi-finals of the Champions League – out of the table region that entitles them to participate in next year’s premier class.
“We found out in the afternoon after the technical meeting, which is of course good news,” said Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri after the 1-1 draw in the Europa League at Sporting Lisbon. “But now it’s our responsibility. We want to finish in the top four in the league.”
As a result of Coni’s decision, it could now be the case that at the end of the season it is not clear which teams will be allowed to compete in which European Cup competitions in autumn. According to the Adnkronos news agency, a new decision by the FIGC sports court is not expected before the end of May or the beginning of June. The last Serie A matchday is scheduled for June 4th.
The deduction of 15 points for Juventus can be confirmed in a new procedure – which the media consider rather unlikely. Juve could also get away with a lesser penalty or no penalty points at all. The club feels unfairly treated, among other things because other clubs that were initially also accused did not receive any penalties. In addition, the lawyers complained about procedural errors.
The bans against former club officials Andrea Agnelli (two years), Fabio Paratici (two and a half years), Federico Cherubini (16 months) and Maurizio Arrivabene (two years) were confirmed. The bans against a number of other officials, on the other hand – like the point deduction – have to be renegotiated.