The Federal Court of Appeal in Italy has decided to hand Juventus a 10-point penalty meaning they have dropped out of the Champions League qualification places.
The decision has been reported by ANSA (via Sport Mediaset), after the prosecutors asked for an 11-point penalty to be handed to the Bianconeri as well as eight-month bans for the executives involved.
Juve had originally been docked a massive 15 points, but that was later suspended meaning they have been in the Champions League qualification spots for the past couple of months. They will now be dumped further down the table.
Within the ruling, many of the executives, Pavel Nedved, Paolo Garimberti, Assia Grazioli-Venier, Caitlin Mary Hughes, Daniela Marilungo and Francesco Roncaglio, have been acquitted of their roles in the capital gains scandal.
The news also means that Lazio are mathematically assured of a place in the Champions League next season as they are seven points ahead of sixth-placed Atalanta with two games left to play.
Serie A table after Juventus points deduction
A 10-point deduction would again see Juventus fall dramatically down the Serie A table. Their previous punishment saw them fall as low as mid-table earlier in the season, though this time it will not be as extreme as the top seven sides have built up sufficient breathing room to separate themselves from the chasing pack.
Having been deducted 10 points, the Bianconeri fall to seventh in the Serie A table. This would mean that each of Inter, Lazio, AC Milan, Atalanta and AS Roma would move up a place.
- The Champions League places would then consist of Napoli, Inter, Lazio and AC Milan;
- Atalanta would occupy the Europa League place;
- AS Roma would be sitting in the Europa Conference League qualification place.
It should be noted that even in the event of Juventus occupying one of the European qualification places on offer in Serie A, their participation in any UEFA competition for 2023/23 is in doubt. UEFA have opened their own parallel investigation into the Bianconeri, and many expect them to be banned from taking part in the Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League irrespective of their Serie A finish.
Why might UEFA punish Juventus?
Juventus were fined €3.5 million in September 2022 for Financial Fair Play violations and they could have paid up to €23 million had it not been for the signing of various agreements based on balance sheets they provided to the organisation.
These are the same balance sheets used by both the FIGC and the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Turin for their respective capital gains investigations. Numerous directors formerly of Juventus have been punished for their roles in capital gains fraud, but for UEFA, it needs to go even further.
The Bianconeri settled on a fine for Financial Fair Play, acknowledging that they were outside of the parameters. However, the plea bargain would not have been granted if the reported figures were false, and Juventus’ disqualification from the Champions League, Europa League and/or Europa Conference League is possible.
While the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City inflated sponsorship values, the revenues generated were real figures. Meanwhile, Juventus have been accused of falsifying balance sheets.
