Fiorentina director Joe Barone aimed a sideswipe at rivals Juventus after taking their spot in the Conference League. ‘We respect the rules and are quite rightly in Europe.’
The Bianconeri had qualified for the Europa Conference League by finishing seventh in the Serie A table, although that was after a 10-point penalty for artificially inflating transfer fees to boost capital gains.
Due to the same accusations of financial irregularities, UEFA excluded Juventus from all their tournaments for this season, so the place went to eighth-placed Fiorentina instead.
“It is wonderful for us to be in Europe. We have always followed the rules and paid all our bills on time,” Viola chief Barone said on the club’s official website.
“President Rocco Commisso deserves credit for that and we are quite rightly in the Conference League. We are also preparing for the Supercoppa Italiana.”
Fiorentina reached the Final of both the Coppa Italia and the Conference League last season, losing to Inter and West Ham United respectively.
The new and expanded Supercoppa Italiana will see Fiorentina, Inter, Napoli and Lazio go head-to-head in semi-finals and a final rather than just a one-off game.
As for the Conference League, the Viola will be in a play-off round to reach the group stage.