Uefa has booted Juventus out of this season’s Europa League and also fined them for breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) criteria.
This was contained in a statement released on Friday by the European football governing body, UEFA.
The regulatory body of European football has also penalized Chelsea for violating FFP guidelines as a result of “submitting incomplete financial information”.
According to Uefa, the matter relates to transactions that took place between 2012 and 2019.
Juventus was penalized £17.14 million, while Chelsea was fined £8.57 million.
The Italian club would only have to pay half of their sentence if their financial records for the next three years are in order, whereas Chelsea has already agreed to pay the settlement amount.
The Blues have spent roughly £600 million on 19 new players since new owner Todd Boehly took over in May 2022, but their fine is based on a seven-year period when Roman Abramovich was in charge.
According to Uefa, “Following the club’s sale in May 2022, the new ownership identified and proactively reported to Uefa instances of potentially incomplete financial reporting under the club’s previous ownership.”
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) must now notify Uefa of which club will take Juve’s spot in Europe’s third division. Fiorentina, who finished seventh in Serie A and were defeated by West Ham in last year’s final, is the most likely candidate.
The action against Juventus stems from a 718,000 euro (£620,000) punishment imposed as part of a settlement agreement reached with Italian football authorities regarding the payment of player salaries.
Juventus was also penalized ten Serie A points last season after a hearing into the club’s previous transfer practices.
The Italian giants would have finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League the following season if they had not been sanctioned.
In reaction to the charge, Juventus stated that they respect Uefa’s decision and would not appeal.
President of the Club, Gianluca Ferrero, said: “We regret the decision of the Uefa. We do not share the interpretation that has been given of our defense, and we remain firmly convinced of the legitimacy of our actions and the validity of our arguments.
“However, we have decided not to appeal this judgment.
“Lodging an appeal, possibly to other levels of judgment, with uncertain outcomes and timing, would increase the uncertainty with respect to our eventual participation in the 2024–25 Uefa Champions League.”
