Napoli lawyer Mattia Grassani hailed ‘an historic ruling’ that forces Juventus to play the abandoned Week 3 game and removes the point penalty.
The first two appeals against the original sentence had been rejected by the Lega Serie A and FIGC, but the CONI (Italian Olympic Committee) accepted Napoli’s version of events.
Napoli lawyer Mattia Grassani hailed ‘an historic ruling’ that forces Juventus to play the abandoned Week 3 game and removes the point penalty.
The first two appeals against the original sentence had been rejected by the Lega Serie A and FIGC, but the CONI (Italian Olympic Committee) accepted Napoli’s version of events.
The club argued it tried to make the trip to Turin for the game on October 4, but was prevented from doing so by the local health authority (ASL) following two COVID-19 cases.
Napoli had been docked one point and given an automatic 3-0 defeat to Juventus, but now the match will have to be played.
“Justice has been done,” lawyer Grassani told Radio Kiss Kiss.
“It is an historic sentence, the third level of appeal overturned the previous two. It’s a result that confirms the principle that games must be played and decided on the pitch.
“We cannot risk the health of our players and staff for a football match. It’s a victory of David against Goliath, in the sense that everyone assumed we would lose, while the CONI showed we were right with a sentence that cannot be appealed.
“The verdict accepts our appeal, annuls the previous verdict and gives back the docked point, as well as imposing that the game must be played.
“President Aurelio De Laurentiis is very happy, because winning at the third level of appeal gives a great feeling. The CONI found big holes in the previous ruling, as we had already pointed out.
“This sentence will now set a precedent. Now let the best team win.”
Setting a precedent is precisely what the Lega Serie A and CONI had feared, because if clubs did not stick to the existing COVID protocol, there was the genuine risk the season couldn’t reach a conclusion due to games cancelled.
Juventus and Napoli are already set to play in January for the Italian Super Cup, so it’s likely they’ll face off twice in one month.