Juventus’s season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride, and the past 12 hours have been a mere reflection of it. On Monday, Juventus were in second place, just 90 minutes away from securing the UEFA Champions League spot. But they ended up in the seventh position. With this chain of events, their season has taken another turn, and this time it will be hard for them to bounce back from such adversity.
Before their crucial encounter against Empoli in Serie A, Juventus released an official statement that confirmed that the club had suffered a 10-point deduction for false accounting.
“Juventus Football Club S.p.A. (“Juventus” or the “Company”), following the press release issued on April 20, 2023, informs that the FIGC Federal Court of Appeal, Unified Sections, having regard to the remand ordered by the Sport Guarantee Board before CONI (Collegio di Garanzia dello Sport presso il CONI) with decision no. 40 of May 8, 2023, has (a) acquitted Pavel Nedved, Paolo Garimberti, Assia Grazioli Venier, Caitlin Mary Hughes, Daniela Marilungo, Francesco Roncaglio, and Enrico Vellano, and (b) imposed on the Company a penalty of 10 points in the standing, to be served in the current Sport Season. The Company awaits the publication of the grounds and reserves the right, in defence of its interests, to consider an appeal to the Sport Guarantee Board within the terms provided by the Sports System,” as quoted by Juventus.com.
Later on, Juventus went on to lose to Empoli by 4-1, which further rubbed salt in their wounds. Now they find themselves in a spot where they will need to pull off a victory against AC Milan in order to get back into the Top 4.
“Encapsulating the entire season in an evening like this is not a true reflection; we started well, but then we had a mental breakdown. We have to keep quiet; we lost, and there’s nothing else to say. Before the match, we found ourselves 10 points down, and we had the possibility of playing against Milan for a place in the Champions League. It hasn’t been easy, and it won’t be easy in our last two games, because between tonight and the elimination of Sevilla, these are both two very hard blows to take.” Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said in the post-match conference. The Bianconeri will now face AC Milan on Monday at the Allianz Stadium.