Juventus, one of Italy’s most storied and successful football clubs, has been dealt a crushing blow as they have been handed a 15-point deduction in the ongoing 2021-2022 Serie A season. The punishment is the result of an accounting scandal known as “plusvalenza”, which saw an investigation opened in 2021 into the club’s finances. The investigation alleged that the club had misrepresented its losses between 2018 and 2020.
Despite denying any wrongdoing, the Federal Court of Appeals accepted the FIGC Prosecutor’s request to reopen the sporting trial against the club for their alleged use of falsified capital gains. In addition to the points deduction, several officials involved in the scandal have also received severe punishments. These include Tottenham’s chief football officer Fabio Paratici, who has been suspended for two-and-a-half years, as well as Juventus’ president, Andrea Agnelli, and former Ferrari CEO Maurizio Arrivabene, who have both been handed two-year suspensions. Juventus’ vice-president Pavel Nedved and chief financial officer Federico Cherubini have also been suspended for between eight and 16 months.
The sanctions at this point apply only to Italian football, but the FIGC has requested that they be extended to UEFA and FIFA competitions. This could have significant implications for Tottenham, as Paratici has played a key role in the club’s recruitment process since being appointed in 2021.
The prosecutor, Giuseppe Chine, had originally called for a nine-point penalty for Juventus, but the final punishment is far more severe. All officials hit with suspensions have been banned from activity within Italian football, and their suspensions do not apply to roles outside of the country at this time. If the sanctions were applied this season, it would leave Juventus in 11th place in the league, currently, they are in third position and are 10 points behind the current league leaders Napoli.
The points deduction would see them fall below Fiorentina and Torino, making it extremely difficult for them to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Juventus is not the only club to have been investigated, all other clubs have been acquitted.
All of Sampdoria, Pro Vercelli, Genoa, Parma, Pisa, Empoli, Novara, and Pescara were investigated but have avoided any punishment. Juventus has already confirmed its intentions to appeal the decision, and it remains to be seen how this will impact the club’s future. The scandal has cast a shadow over Italian football, with many questioning the integrity of the sport in the country.
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