Juventus goalkeeper Mattia Perin highlighted how the 15-point deduction handed to the club has united the players, giving them energy in the final stages of this season.
The Bianconeri were handed the penalty by the FIGC court back in January for allegedly falsifying their capital gains through inflated player transfer values.
Juventus have already appealed against this penalty and will attend a trial with CONI’s Collegio di Garanzia on April 19 to hear their fate. Should the deduction be nullified, they’d fly up to second in the Serie A table.
Speaking at the presentation of the ‘Amici dei Bambini’ tournament, Perin first discussed the impact the point deduction had on the Juventus squad.
“This situation has united us a lot. On the day of the verdict, we talked on WhatsApp, then also the next day in the dressing room. We told each other what we had to do to deal with this particular moment.
“Then on the pitch we turned words into deeds. We used this crisis to give us energy. We have always looked at the table with what we have done on the pitch, we work for a result. This ruling is there, and we cannot pretend nothing is wrong, but in points we are second.”
The 30-year-old Italian shot stopper then reflected on Juventus’ fateful 4-3 loss to Benfica in the Champions League, a result that played a key role in their elimination from the competition.
“Perhaps on that occasion we were a bit superficial. Unfortunately, we can’t go back, but we use defeats to understand where to improve and do better.”
Juventus are also facing punishment from the outcome of the Prisma investigation, which is looking into the club’s usage of capital gains, alleged salary manoeuvres and suspicious partnerships with other teams.