Juventus, the Italian football giants, have received a significant blow as they have been handed a ten-point deduction in Serie A by the Federal Court of Appeal of the FIGC (Italian Football Association).
This decision comes after a January ruling, which initially imposed a 15-point penalty, was overturned in April, leading to a fresh investigation into Juventus’ historical transfer activities.
In a recent development, eight executives, including former Bianconeri vice president Pavel Nedved, have been acquitted after successfully appealing their bans. The FIGC’s statement explained that the Collegio di Garanzia dello Sport (Court of Sporting Guarantees) requested a reassessment of the punishment for Juventus in the so-called “capital gains case.” Consequently, the Corte Federale d’Appello (Federal Court of Appeal), headed by Ida Raiola, sanctioned Juventus with a ten-point deduction in the league table, effective immediately for the ongoing football season.
The statement from the FIGC also mentioned the acquittal of Pavel Nedved, Paolo Garimberti, Assia Grazioli Venier, Caitlin Mary Hughes, Daniela Marilungo, Francesco Roncaglio, and Enrico Vellano, who were cleared of the charges brought against them.
The timing of the new ruling was particularly noteworthy as it coincided with Juventus’ upcoming match against Empoli on Monday night. As a result of the deduction, Massimiliano Allegri’s team, previously positioned second, will now drop to seventh place in the league standings.
Francesco Calvo, Juventus’ chief football officer, expressed disappointment at the decision, stating that the initial impressions were negative and that they had hoped for a prompt resolution before the game. Calvo added that it was too early to provide further comments, as the club intends to release an official statement after thoroughly examining the written reasons behind the judgment. This will allow Juventus to understand if there are grounds for another potential appeal.
Juventus has consistently denied any wrongdoing throughout the investigation and has been accused of manipulating balance sheets by artificially inflating transfer fees.