Juventus Hit With 15-Point Deduction, Drops Seven Spots in Serie A

Just when things at Juventus seemed to be settling down, the Italian club finds its trophy hopes in serious jeopardy. 

Serie A announced a 15-point deduction to Juventus’ 37-point total on Friday, sending the third-place team plummeting down the standings to 10th and out of European competition with 20 matches remaining. 

The point deduction is the result of an investigation by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) into allegations that the club provided “false accounting and market manipulation” in the transfer market. While the league is yet to reveal the findings of their investigation, Juventus was specifically accused of inflating the values of outgoing players.

The punishment handed out by the league is actually harsher than the prosecutor’s recommendation of nine points. 

Additionally, 11 former and current Juventus officials were also banned from holding office in Italian soccer starting at eight months. The longest ban – for 30 months – went to Fabio Paratici, current Managing Director of Football at Tottenham Hotspur. 

According to a press release from the team, Juventus awaits the published reasons behind the ruling and plans to appeal the decision to the Sport Guarantee Board.

This news comes on the heels of a particularly chaotic year for the club.

They — along with 10 other clubs — were initially cleared of any wrongdoing back in April, but the league reopened the investigation in November. In the meantime, the team struggled on the pitch, finishing fourth on the table and without any trophies for the first time in over a decade. 

Juventus lost five of its six Champions League matches and finished last in group play. 

This is far from what fans are used to at the storied club, which currently owns a record 36 league titles and two Champions League wins to its name. 

Since returning from the World Cup international break, they seemed to be returning to form, losing only one of seven games, in part due to contributions from American Weston McKennie. McKennie is on the short list of rumored Premier League transfers, with heavy speculation that he could join national team teammate Christian Pulisic at Chelsea or Paratici at Tottenham. 

As of now, Juventus is on the outside looking in at European competitions next season. While winning Coppa Italia in March could give them entrance into either the Europa League or Europa Conference league, their best bet is to work their way back into the top 6 of the table.