UEFA Bans Juventus From European Competition Next Year

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Facts

  • On Friday, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) banned Italian soccer club Juventus from European competition next season over a false accounting case that deducted 10 points from the Serie A club and disqualified it from the Champions League.1
  • In addition to fining Juventus £17.14M ($18.9M) for allegedly breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, UEFA also fined English club Chelsea £8.57M ($9.3M). While Chelsea has agreed to pay the settlement in full, Juventus will only have to pay half if its financial records for the next three years comply with regulations.2
  • Juventus said it "regret[s]" UEFA’s ruling but said it wouldn't file an appeal. Meanwhile, Fiorentina is poised to take Juventus’ spot in the Europa Conference League playoffs round starting on Aug. 24.3
  • In December, UEFA launched a formal investigation into Juventus’ revenues from player registration rights between 2019 and 2021. While the club previously settled with UEFA’s financial arm, Juventus was hit with a 15-point penalty, which was later reduced to 10 by Italy’s Soccer Court.4
  • Chelsea’s fine stems from incomplete financial reporting from 2012 to 2019 under the club’s previous owner Roman Abramovich. After purchasing the Blues in May 2022, Chelsea’s new owners alerted UEFA of the previous regime’s incomplete reporting.5
  • Meanwhile, Juventus denies any wrongdoing related to falsified accounting– including claims that it provided made-up information on player transfer costs and underreporting employee spending and salaries– which allegedly netted the club €700M ($772.5M).6

Sources: 1ESPN.com, 2BBC News, 3Associated Press, 4The Athletic, 5talkSPORT, and 6Euronews.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Goal UK. Juventus should have expected to be banned from European competition for its financial scandals, but it should use its punishments as a learning lesson. The club thought it could cook the books and get away with it, but that eventually caught up to it. Juventus should respect UEFA’s ruling and work to mend ties with the association.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Juvefc. Juventus has been unfairly targeted for months. First, the club was docked 10 points in the standings, losing out on the chance to win the Scudetto, now UEFA is piling on the penalties. At the end of the day, UEFA’s decision is meaningless, and the club will come back stronger than ever.