There were already reports that Juventus had backed out of the European Super League project and now Diario AS claims it’s because UEFA threatened a five-year ban.
The Bianconeri were along with Real Madrid and Barcelona the only three clubs still signed up to the plan that would create a rival to the Champions League, after the other nine withdrew within hours of the original April 2021 announcement.
Relevo reported today that Juve had sent a formal statement to Barcelona and Real Madrid confirming they too would no longer be affiliated with the project.
However, according to Diario AS, this was not just a simple change of heart, but also due to the threats from UEFA to exclude Juventus from all European club competition for five years.
This is because Juve’s position is already extremely fragile following a 10-point Serie A penalty for artificially inflating transfer fees to boost capital gains and a plea bargain over the so-called salary manoeuvres.
They full expect to be excluded from the Conference League this season, but are hoping that will be all the punishment they face from UEFA.
Juventus in general are trying to distance themselves from former President Andrea Agnelli, who resigned along with the entire board of directors when the scandal erupted.
Agnelli was one of the core figures behind the Super League and continued to push it even only a few weeks ago.