Frustrated, angry and divided: what Juventus fans did in first match after points penalty

- by Lorenzo Bettoni - 9 Comments.

Lorenzo Bettoni at the Allianz Stadium describes what Juventus fans did and how they felt in their first match since their team was deducted 15 points for the current campaign.

The surroundings of the Curva Sud, the habitat of Juventus’ die-hard ultras, was just a little more crowded than before a regular match, but there wasn’t too much noise, except for a few firecrackers exploded in front of the gates.  

Friday’s FIGC ruling caused outrage among fans. Max Allegri’s men had climbed to third place after a terrible start to the season, but their efforts were in vain as they were deducted 15 points for financial irregularities and sent back to 10th, one point below Fiorentina and Torino.

Old Lady’s fans were left in shock, thousands threatened to cancel subscriptions to DAZN and Sky Sport Italia, some of them actually did it, but at first glance, there were more complaints on social media than at the stadium, where many seats remained empty. It wasn’t surprising as the trip to the Allianz Stadium was unusually quick and without traffic jams. There were 33,565 fans at the Stadium tonight, including 237 from Bergamo.

Juventus ultras are known to be no friends of former President Andrea Agnelli and blamed the ex-chairman with a statement, before insulting him outside and inside the stadium. This is a long story and ultras’ protests are not only caused by the recent chaos but dates back to when Agnelli banned many of them from the stadium, collaborating with Police after the club had been blackmailed to receive free tickets for matches which some ultras group could resell at a higher price.

Undoubtedly, their anger is not genuinely driven by the recent penalty that hit the Bianconeri.

Nevertheless, the support they offered tonight was nothing short of impressive as it was the banner they put up outside the Curva Sud before kick-off: ‘Serie A or Serie B, we are always here, only for Juventus.’

Not all fans share the same view on Agnelli and most ordinary supporters have been backing the ex-President on social media lately. Apparently, there was calm outside the stadium before kick-off, but the atmosphere inside was much different.

Ultras continued to insult Agnelli and the Lega Calcio, although Friday’s ruling comes from FIGC and not Lega Serie A itself.

When Lega banners were put up in the middle of the pitch before players left the tunnel, all Curva Sud started booing and singing insulting chants and the same happened when the Lega Calcio anthem was played minutes before kick-off.

While not all Juventus fans have the same opinion about Agnelli, it’s safe to say that all of them felt angry and frustrated and their feelings were easy to understand during the warmup and the game.

Every decision made by the referee – seen as the symbol of the power that ultimately pushed them down in the table – was challenged with boos and shouts that put pressure on the match official, who also looked quite confused throughout the game.

The sense of injustice, voiced by CEO Maurizio Scanavino before kick-off, was well represented at the Allianz Stadium. After a shocking start that saw Allegri’s men concede an early goal, the reaction was vehement and helped the Bianconeri score twice before the break, inspired by a magnificent performance of Angel Di Maria.

Joakim Maehle and Ademola Lookman shocked the Allianz Stadium again by scoring twice in the space of five minutes at the beginning of the second half and the double blow left Juventus supporters tremendously silent with even more sense of emptiness and uncertainties, mirroring, perhaps, what the players felt on the pitch.

Fans remained quiet for long portions of the game, but the silence was broken at minute 60, when an ovation from the whole stadium welcomed Federico Chiesa’s introduction. It was even louder when Danilo scored the equaliser and ran under the stands hitting the Juventus logo in his chest.

It was like an electric shock that turned Juventus fans on again, although they know that every point earned by the Bianconeri in the second part of the season may not be instrumental to climbing the table but only to avoid a further fall in the ranking, given that a new sporting trial could take place in the coming months, looking into the alleged salaries paid under the table during the peak of the COVID pandemic, may lead to another penalty.

If the 3-3 draw with Atalanta proved anything, it’s that players and fans are on the same boat, surrounded by fears and uncertainties. At least, they are all helping each other. Everything looks vulnerable around the Allianz Stadium right now, but players showed a commitment that was greatly appreciated by supporters even if nobody knows what the future holds for the Black and White side of Turin.

@lorebetto

9 Comments on “Frustrated, angry and divided: what Juventus fans did in first match after points penalty”

  2. don’t confuse sarcasm with obsession.

    what’s more he wrote the exact same message on another article. 1 trick pony.

  4. But Peter you have told us that one trick peanut story once too many and it’s not remotely funny. I think you are more obsessed with him as you are always crying out for him and yet he gives you no attention. You have to be special for him to engage you.

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