Juventus handed 15 point penalty over plusvalenza investigation, club expected to appeal ruling

Italian giants Juventus have been handed a 15-point penalty by the Federal Court of Appeals as a result of the investigation into the plusvalenza capital gains case.

The deduction comes due to the club being found guilty of alleged false accounting and market manipulation, with prosecutor claiming that Juventus had misrepresented their losses between 2018 and 2020, particularly regarding the amount credited to player sales.

The initial recommendation from the FIGC Prosecutor’s Office was for a nine-point penalty, with Federal Prosecutor Giuseppe Chine saying: “The penalty must be afflictive. Juventus must now finish behind Roma, outside of the European Cup spots”.

The Court of Appeals, however, decided to strike down a 15-point penalty, which leaves them on 22 points in tenth position alongside Bologna and Empoli, outside of the European spots the club usually contends for. They were previously in third position in Serie A behind league leaders, Napoli, and AC Milan.

Furthermore, a two-year suspension has been given to the club’s CEO Maurizio Arrivabene and the club’s former sports director, Fabio Paratici, who now is the managing director of football at Tottenham, while the former vice-chairman Pavel Nadved has been handed an eight month suspension.

Former president of the club Andrea Agnelli also received a two year suspension while current sporting director Federico Cherubini was hit with a ten month ban.

The other clubs involved in the investigation Empoli, Genoa, Sampdoria, Parma, Pisa, Pescara, Novara and Pro Vercelli have all been acquitted.

Juventus, who have been waiting for proceedings to develop since October after finding out the investigation was re-opened, have denied any wrongdoing on their part. It is being widely reported in Italian media that the club will appeal the decision. They have 30 days to do so. If the appeal is successful, the penalty cannot be changed, and it will be removed in its entirety.