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The penalty, announced just before their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Empoli, drops Juventus to seventh place in the Serie A standings, effectively shattering their dreams of European qualification.
Juventus players react during their Italian serie A match against Empoli FC | Photo Credit: Imago [Claudio Giovannini]
The penalty, announced just before their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Empoli, drops Juventus to seventh place in the Serie A standings, effectively shattering their dreams of European qualification.
This saga began in January when Juventus was initially slapped with a hefty 15-point penalty.
However, in a surprising twist, Italy's highest sporting court overturned that decision in April, leading to a re-examination of the case.
The timing of the ruling couldn't have been more dramatic, as Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri expressed his disbelief, stating, "It was a strange situation, 10 minutes before the match the sentence came out."
The new setback comes at a crucial juncture in the Serie A season, with Napoli having already secured the league title and holding a comfortable 17-point lead over second-placed Juventus.
The once-dominant club finds itself now languishing outside the European qualification spots, a reality that seemed unfathomable not long ago.
In April, the tribunal at Italy's Olympic Committee (CONI) caused a stir by revoking Juventus' original 15-point penalty handed down by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) appeals court.
This decision prompted a request for a revision of punishments, resulting in the acquittal of former vice-chairman Pavel Nedved and several club officials.
However, the long bans imposed on key figures such as former chairman Andrea Agnelli, ex-chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene, and sporting directors Federico Cherubini and Fabio Paratici remained intact.
In a statement issued in response to the ruling, Juventus expressed their disappointment, acknowledging the decision while reserving the right to evaluate a possible appeal.
"What was established by the fifth instance of judgment in this matter, which began more than a year ago, arouses great bitterness in the club and in its millions of supporters who, in the absence of clear rules, find themselves extremely penalised with the application of sanctions that seem to take into account the principle of proportionality.”
"While not ignoring the need for urgency, which Juventus has never shied away from during the proceedings, it is emphasised that these are facts that still have to be evaluated by a judge."
Juve's loss at Empoli on Monday leaves them five points behind AC Milan, who occupy the final Champions League spot, with two games to play - and Juve host Milan on Sunday.
The upcoming clash against Milan will undoubtedly be a defining moment, one that could either salvage their campaign or deliver the final blow.
The Old Lady received a points deduction as a result of an investigation by the FIGC into the club's past transfer dealings spanning from 2019 to 2021.
Juventus were accused of fixing their balance sheets by artificial gains of around 60m euros from club transfers, charges they were found guilty of by the FIGC's appeals court in January.
However, the club denied any wrongdoing, and forwarded their appeal to the Olympic Committee tribunal, who did not rule on the merits of the case but instead examined the legal legitimacy of the punishments handed out by the FIGC to the club and directors.
The initial 15-point sanction was tougher than the nine-point deduction prosecutors had requested, and the club hoped no points deduction would be applied once the case had been re-examined.
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