If you are a Calcio fan gleefully gloating at Juventus being docked 15 points, then Susy Campanale advises you to hold that thought – this is only the beginning for everyone.
So here we are again. Juventus docked points and publicly shamed, with the usual chorus of those decrying the injustice of it all getting drowned out by the gleeful ticker tape parade of gloating, with a sideshow of others insisting it can never be enough until the club is in Serie D and anyone ever associated with them thrown into prison. Nuance, as ever, is nowhere to be seen. But looking at the verdict and what is still to come, I would be very careful about celebrating this 15-point penalty. It sets a dangerous precedent and plenty of other clubs are going to be in the firing line soon enough.
The original verdict, which was then overturned in the light of new evidence from wiretaps, was that there was no way of independently verifying the value of a player on the transfer market. The only definition of value was the price two clubs agreed to. That is apparently no longer the case. It sets a precedent that will have repercussions throughout the world of Calcio and the wider football system.
If you think Juve are the only ones playing this little capital gains tactic, then you are sorely mistaken. For a start, how can only one club be penalised for gaming a system in a way that only works if both parties agree to inflate the transfer value? It was only the existing trial, closed in May 2022, that was reopened. The clubs involved in the wiretap conversation deals, including Atalanta, Sassuolo and Barcelona, they will be impacted by this in the next trial that can build on this precedent. So if you did a deal with Juventus at any point – be worried.
It is no coincidence that the most vocal supporter of Juve’s legal defence in recent weeks was the official Napoli lawyer. If you wanted to find an example of how the capital gains tactic works, you could get no clearer a textbook definition than Victor Osimhen’s transfer from LOSC. Officially, Napoli ‘paid’ €71.3m plus €10m in add-ons. The actual cash sum was closer to €50m, as €20m of it was the written value of four players involved in an exchange. That was divided into €5m for goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis (who in two years played precisely one game for Lille), and €15m for three youth team players Ciro Palmieri, Luigi Liguori and Claudio Manzi. All three barely even went to France and were immediately loaned out to lower division sides before seeing their contracts terminated practically for free.
So if you are a Napoli supporter who is celebrating this Juventus verdict, I’d hold that thought. This is only the tip of the iceberg.
It does feel like a repeat of Calciopoli, in that it was widely acknowledged this was something lots of clubs did, but Juventus stood out for the sheer volume and brazenness of their approach. For others it was a nasty habit, while Juve were practically addicted to it. Those with short memories might think the Old Lady was the only one to be penalised in Calciopoli, but that wave hit numerous clubs including Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina, while the Inter evidence only turned up after the statute of limitations had passed.
As for those who think I might be reassuring Juventus fans – I am definitely not. The worst is yet to come. The next trial will cover the transfers mentioned in the wiretaps and UEFA can’t wait to take revenge on the leaders of the European Super League rebellion with Financial Fair Play penalties.
The biggest concern is the ‘secret’ agreement to pay the players under the table after announcing they were giving up four months of their salary during the pandemic. That leaves a clear paper trail and would point to fraud on a grand scale both inside the football world and on the stock exchange by misleading investors. If the club was docked 15 points for something that is very difficult to prove, then this could easily take them down to Serie B or worse.
At least there is one positive from this latest iteration of a Juventus scandal – the team doing so badly recently means we won’t have to argue about how many trophies they have actually won.
@SusyCampanale
Good article. The difference between clubs that have played with the numbers such as Barcelona, Chelsea, City and Real Madrid is their status at the top of the pyramid. The 7/9 bless their hearts have always strived to be a big club but do not have the personnel and financial clout to get away with such things.
rather than tip of the iceberg, i would call it the beginning of super league. if it gets to all big clubs involved and how they would deal with this accusations?
The evidence vs PSG and Man City was overwhelming, but UEFA have no backbone.
All of the companies who were providing sponsorships are and were directly linked to the owners of both clubs.
Lord Dummy, your message is a good onel too!