Serie A déjà vu: Juventus get 15-point penalty over transfer irregularities

11 former and current Juventus executives were sanctioned, including former President Andrea Agnelli for two and a half years

From left to right: Fabio Paratici, Andrea Agnelli and Pavel Nedved (Photo: Getty Images)
From left to right: Fabio Paratici, Andrea Agnelli and Pavel Nedved (Photo: Getty Images)

It’s yet another déjà vu in Italian football, as 36-times Serie A winners Juventus have been handed a 15-point penalty ban by the Italian Federal Courts of Appeal over irregularities in the transfer market.

This means that Juventus have been ‘relegated’ from the third to the tenth place in the current Serie A season, putting them 12 points short of a spot in the UEFA Champions League and 25 points behind league leaders Napoli.

The penalty went even further than the nine points penalty initially requested by the Italian national football federation (FIGC). 11 former and current Juventus executives were sanctioned, including former President Andrea Agnelli and sports director (now at Tottenham) Fabio Paratici for two and a half years.

The case concerns player valuations possibly being inflated in transfers to help clubs balance their books. €50 million's worth of false capital gains declarations for the seasons between 2018 and 2021 were flagged.

Last November the entire board of directors of the club resigned amid the investigations into the scandal.

Juventus were initially acquitted alongside 10 other clubs, including Napoli, in April 2022 but the investigation was reopened in December after the federal prosecutor decided to appeal that ruling.

“The Company awaits the publication of the reasons of the decision and announces as of now the bringing of an appeal to the Sport Guarantee Board in accordance with the terms of the Sport Justice Code,” said Juventus in a statement.

Agnelli had been appointed chairman of the board of directors in 2010, becoming the fourth member of the Agnelli family to run the football club after his father, his uncle, and his grandfather.

He took over after the club’s poor results after their return to the Italian top tier, following their relegation to Serie B in 2006 and the revocation of two Serie A titles over match-fixing.

Juventus won nine Serie A titles in a row during Agnelli's 13-year tenure, but finished fourth last season and made a €254m euro loss - a record in Italy.