UEFA, the European Football governing body, announced on Friday that Italian heavyweight Juventus has been banned from participating in any European competition over the next one year due to financial fair play (FFP) violations.
The ban, which means the Old Lady will not be competing in the Europa Conference League in the 2023–24 season, comes as a result of the club’s involvement in the “Capital Gain” case, where the Italian club’s decision-makers were involved in manipulating the actual values of players in their transfer dealings.
The 36-time Serie A champions have also been handed a €20 million fine, with €10 million of the initial fee said to be conditional and will only be enforced if there are continued inconsistencies in the club’s annual financial statements over the next three years (2023, 2024, or 2025).
UEFA revealed that Juventus breached their “regulatory framework” and violated the settlement agreement signed in August 2022, resulting in their punishment.
The newly-imposed sanction by UEFA means the Turin-based side will most likely be replaced by Fiorentina, who finished a spot behind them in eighth in Serie A last season, with the Italian FA (FIGC) expected to submit an entry form for the next club in the league table which will then be vetoed by UEFA.
The ripple effect of Juventus’ ban will also see Premier League side Aston Villa take a giant leap from the un-seeded pot to the seeded pot ahead of the two-legged play-offs in August.
Newly-appointed Juventus president Gianluca Ferrero announced that the club would not be contesting the continental body’s decision, saying they “can now face the new season by focusing on the field and not on the court”.
“We regret the decision of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body,” Ferrero said. “We do not share the interpretation that has been given of our defence, and we remain firmly convinced of the legitimacy of our actions and the validity of our arguments.
“However, we have decided not to appeal this judgement. This decision is in line with the one taken last May in the context of the disputes with the FIGC.
“As in that case, we prefer to put an end to the period of uncertainty and ensure full visibility and certainty to our internal and external stakeholders about the club’s participation in future international competitions.
“Lodging an appeal, possibly to other levels of judgement, with uncertain outcomes and timing, would increase the uncertainty with respect to our eventual participation in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League. Instead, we want the first team, our fans, our sponsors, suppliers, and financial partners to be able to experience the 2023–24 season with the utmost serenity and certainty with respect to the results achievable on the pitch, especially after the turbulent past season.”
UEFA opened a formal investigation into Juventus’ alleged financial violations in December 2022, and the investigation circled around their revenues from player registration rights between 2019 and 2021.
Although UEFA’s financial arm (CFCB) acknowledged Juventus failed to uphold their “break-even requirements” after the two parties reached an agreement, CFCB admitted the effect of the pandemic on the club’s finances.
The Old Lady, as they are fondly called, was hit with an initial 15-point deduction last season, but it was later reduced to 10, which took them from second to 10th in Serie A, where they eventually fought back and finished seventh, subsequently missing out on a Champions League spot.
They will begin the 2023–2024 Serie A campaign on August 20 when they visit Stadio Friuili to take on Udinese.
