The title race in the Italian Serie A has suffered a major change, as Juventus has been sanctioned due to their dubious handling of the team's finances.
The decision by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) came after a probe that caused the resignation of the team's most prominent figures such as Andrea Agnelli, Pavel Nedved, Maurizio Arrivabene, and former exec Fabio Paratici, now working for Tottenham Hotspur.
Juventus' scheme to alter their capital gains over transfer between 2020 and 2022 gave the club the chance to increase their transfer revenue and boost their squad with new signings. The scheme saw Juventus' execs altering the value of all transfers during that period while reporting a different amount to the competent authorities. The extra money was used to lower the team's losses during that period and to avoid having to re-finance the team's debt.
The list of sanctions for the former bianconeri execs includes bans for all of those involved. Paratici was handed a 30-month ban from all activity related to football teams in Italy, while Agnelli and Arribavene wer slapped with 24-month bans. Cherubini was handed a 16-month ban, while the rest of the team's execs (Nedved, Garimberti, Vellano, Venier, Hughes, Marilungo, and Roncaglio) were given an eight-month ban for their actions in this scheme.
Before this sanction was revealed, Juventus were third in the title race with 37 points, ten behind league leaders Napoli and one less than the defending Serie A champions, AC Milan. Now, Juventus are ranked tenth in the Italian top-flight, twelve points behind Roma, Atalanta, and Lazio, the owners of the last spots to play in European tournaments next season.
Juventus are set to appeal this decision by the FIGC, but the chances of overturning this ruling seem far-fetched.
