Series A
Juventus defiant after 15 points deduction: premier class possible
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri is aiming for qualification for the premier class despite the point deduction. photo
© Alessandro Garofalo//LaPresse/dpa
After the XXL point deduction, Juve wants to switch to defiance mode. The premier class remains the goal, according to Turin. Trouble also threatens from UEFA.
Despite the deduction of 15 points in the current Serie A season, Juventus believe they can qualify for the Champions League again. The Italian football record champion relies on a sporting reaction after the verdict of the association sports court for accounting fraud.
“We need an extraordinary run, but I’ve already done the math,” said coach Massimiliano Allegri before the league game against Atalanta Bergamo.
Turin went into the game twelve points behind the Champions League places and 28 points behind leaders Napoli.
“Juventus is like a seven-headed dragon,” wrote captain Leonardo Bonucci on Instagram. “If one is cut off, a new one always appears. Never give up!” The new club president Gianluca Ferrero called on players and coaches to do their sporting job while the club’s leadership fight in court.
Juventus want to ‘fight in court’
The people of Turin want to appeal to the supreme sports court of the Italian Olympic Committee Coni. They hope that the case will be referred back to the FIGC courts for reconsideration and the point deduction will then be overturned. Juve was penalized because the judges considered it proven that the club had embellished the club’s balance sheets through fictitious market evaluations of its players. The former series champion denies this.
However, Juventus is also threatened with trouble from UEFA: The European continental association is currently also examining the finances of the Italians, after the public prosecutor’s office is also investigating. In addition to the fictitious player ratings, there is also an allegation that the club paid some of its professionals on the black during the corona pandemic and thus did not properly book millions of euros more.
Italian media speculated at the weekend that UEFA would be looking closely at developments and could severely punish the club – who had already fallen out of favor with the continental federation over the European Superliga project. An exclusion from the European Cup in the next few years could threaten. But first, after the 15-point penalty, Juve has to qualify for international competition.