UEFA have BOOTED Juventus out of Europe after breaching financial rules.
It means the Italian side will no longer be able to compete in the upcoming season’s Europa Conference League.
In addition to the ban, they have also been handed a hefty fine by Europe’s governing football body.
Uefa handed them a fine worth £17.15million, though half of this sum is conditional.
In a statement, Uefa stated the additional £8.6m would only come into play if Juventus’ financial statements for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 do not comply with accounting requirements listed in the body’s Licensing and Financial sustainability rules.
The breaches relate to player registration rights between 2019 and 2021, with an official investigation being opened by Uefa in December.
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The ban means Juventus will likely be replaced by Fiorentina in next season’s competition.
It also sees Aston Villa elevated from the unseeded to the seeded pot for August’s two-legged play-offs.
In response to the decision, Juventus president Gianluca Ferrero said: “We regret the decision of the Uefa Club Financial Control Body.
“We do not share the interpretation that has been given of our defence, and we remain firmly convinced of the legitimacy of our actions and the validity of our arguments.”
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The club’s statement added they have decided not to appeal the decision.
Juventus were handed a ten-point deduction in May by the Italian FA after being found guilty of inflating transfer fees to create millions of pounds worth of “capital gains” for tax purposes.
The initial punishment had seen them hit with a 15-point deduction before this was revoked pending a new investigation, which concluded with the Bianconeri being hit with a ten-point penalty.
The Serie A giants were not the only club to be handed a fine by Uefa, with Chelsea also being handed an £8.6m fine for FFP breaches during their time under previous owner Roman Abramovich.
This related to a seven-year period from 2012 to 2019.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
