UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin touched on Juve’s situation in a recent interview with L’Equipe: ‘It’s logical that they were suspended.’ The Bianconeri were docked points for alleged inflated player transfer fees before being ordered to pay a hefty fine for supposed ‘salary manoeuvres’ during the COVID-19 pandemic.
UEFA opted to inflict their own punishment to the Old Lady, choosing to suspend them from all European competitions for one year. Speaking with French newspaper L’Equipe, Ceferin justified the punishment that was taken, insisting that it was only right for the Bianconeri to miss out on European football:
“Juventus? It’s logical that a club that has not complied with the rules is suspended. This is a decision made by an independent body (the club’s financial control body). You cannot punish someone ten years from now if they have done something wrong now-you cannot decide to suspend Juve in 2028 while waiting for them to qualify for the Champions League. A sanction like this is important for any club. It means losing €40 to 50 million, which is no small thing, especially if it is a club with serious financial difficulties.”
