Juventus appeal: four reasons why 15-point deduction must be revoked

Tuttosport published part of the appeal made by Juventus lawyers against a 15-point deduction, highlighting four reasons why the penalty must be revoked.

The Old Lady has lodged an appeal against a 15-point deduction imposed by FIGC in January.

Tuttosport has published part of the 90-page document prepared by Juventus’ lawyers for their appeal to CONI. They highlight four reasons why the FIGC ruling was ‘unfair’ and should therefore be revoked.

There are only two ways for CONI: either confirm the ruling or cancel it, which means reformulating the point deduction isn’t an option. It’s basically all or nothing for the Bianconeri.

So, why do Juventus believe the ruling was unfair?

The club lawyers insist that no formal rule prohibits capital gains, which is one reason why the Bianconeri were cleared of allegations in a trial in 2022, along with other Italian clubs, including Napoli, and over 50 club directors.

One of the reasons why the FIGC punished Juventus in January is because, in the meantime, new evidence emerged from the criminal investigation carried out by the Turin Prosecutor, including wiretaps and a notebook belonging to Federico Cherubini where, among other things, he blamed his predecessor Fabio Paratici for the excessive use of capital gains.

However, according to Juventus, lawyers, the evidence that emerged is ‘not new’ and the article used by the FIGC Court to justify the point deduction (63 CGS CONI) does not allow an overruling because of ‘new events’ but only for a ‘factual error.’ Juventus also believe the FIGC Court had already scrutinised the most relevant wiretaps and documents when the club was cleared of allegations in 2022.

The third reason is that, according to Juventus lawyers, the FIGC changed the charge against the club, ruling over a new matter without consulting the defence lawyers and committing a ‘serious and blatant violation of the right of defence and the right to be heard.’

Last but not least, Juventus insist that inflated transfer values – also known as Plusvalenze – had a low impact on the club’s finances. ‘Between 2018 and 2021, Juventus’ revenues reached €1,675 billion, while the alleged artificially inflated transfer values are worth €60m, so only 3.6%.’