Juventus’ Frederico Gatti, Bremer, Filip Kostic, Wojciech Szczesny and Arkadiusz Milik look dejected after the loss to Empoli on May 22, 2023
Italian soccer club Juventus has been penalized with a 10-point deduction for false accounting. As a result, the club lost its coveted position in the Champions League. Juventus has fallen to the seventh position in Serie A after being in second place. They are now five points behind AC Milan, who has taken the final qualifying spot for the Champions League.
Despite having an opportunity to qualify for the Champions League in their own hands as they play Milan next weekend, Juventus’s hope diminished after a 4-1 loss at Empoli.
The club expressed disappointment in a statement and stated that it may appeal the penalty. The legal proceedings started in April 2022 with an investigation by Turin public prosecutors into alleged false bookkeeping. The prosecutors have also charged the club and its former president, Andrea Agnelli, with false communication, obstructing watchdog agencies, false billing, and market manipulation.
Furthermore, Juventus faced additional legal troubles last week as the Italian soccer federation charged the club and seven former team directors with alleged fraud for the way they handled player salary cuts during the coronavirus pandemic.