Juventus Docked 15 Points Over Transfer Dealings
Italian soccer club Juventus is accused of rigging its finances on player transfer deals and has been docked 15 points as a penalty. The club will drop from 3rd in the Series A standings down to 10th as a result.
Facts
- Italian soccer club Juventus is accused of rigging its finances on player transfer deals and has been docked 15 points as a penalty. The club will drop from 3rd in the Series A standings down to 10th as a result.
- Italy’s soccer federation (FIGC) announced the decision on Friday after Italian prosecutors reopened the “plusvalenza” case, an Italian term for capital gains. Juventus was the primary team investigated for inflating outgoing players' values to gain money.
- In addition to the point deduction, the Turin court also banned 11 past and present Juventus directors from holding office in Italian soccer. Notable bans include 24 months for outgoing chairman Andrea Agnelli as well as 30 months for former Juventus director and current Tottenham manager Fabio Paratici.
- In a previous decision in April, Juventus and 10 other clubs were absolved of any wrongdoing. This latest case confirmed the acquittal of eight of those clubs, but Juventus remains under investigation.
- Juventus reportedly plans to appeal the decision to Italy’s Sports Guarantee Board once the ruling’s reasons are published. The club denies any malpractice and says its accounting adheres to industry standards.
- With 36 championships, Juventus is Italy’s most acclaimed and powerful soccer club. It's controlled by the Angelli family’s Exor holding company and is also listed on the Milan stock exchange.
Sources: BBC News, Yahoo, Reuters, ESPN, and Al Jazeera.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Yahoo. Just because Juventus is Italy’s most notable soccer club doesn't mean that it can commit financial fraud. Juventus is a brand and business, making it subject to the same rules as any other organization. Lying about player values is no different from any other company fixing their books. Juventus and its executives must pay the price for their actions.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Football Italia. The law must apply justly and fairly to all Italian clubs, but Juventus appears to be treated unfairly as it faces a 15-point deduction while other clubs have been exonerated. Ten other teams were under scrutiny in previous investigations, but now they are acquitted. Meanwhile, Juventus has been given an even steeper penalty than originally requested by prosecutors.
