Juventus are awaiting a ruling from the UEFA Financial Fair Play Control Chamber but there’s a risk that any potential disqualification could be carried over to the 2024/25 season. The most recent reports indicated that the Bianconeri were working on a plea-deal of sorts that would see them miss out on the Conference League in the upcoming season in exchange for any FFP charges to be dropped.
Calcio e Finanza report that Juve are in a race against time for the long-awaited ruling over allegations of capital gains and player wages being paid under the table. UEFA’s judges are reviewing the evidence and must act quickly, otherwise there may not be enough time for a possible appeal at the TAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), and the case would be postponed to 2024-2025:
“The main concern is that a harsher disqualification could be applied the following year, perhaps after the team has qualified for the Champions League. UEFA, however, wants to bring this lengthy affair to a close on time.
It was known that the process would be long and complicated, with thousands of pages to go through. At the end of 2022, Juventus had just signed a “settlement” agreement with a €23 million penalty reduced to €3 million and an obligation to meet certain parameters each year. However, investigations into capital gains and salaries have changed the situation. The “settlement” agreement hangs in the balance, as it is usually discontinued or revised when a penalty is imposed.
Helmut Schwärzler of Luxembourg, the panel’s rapporteur, completed his work and presented the paper. The panel consists of five other judges: the chair is American Gulati, the vice chair is Slovenian Bosniak, followed by Spanish Beltran, English Bolingbroke, and German Franck. Italy’s Di Siena cannot participate due to conflict of interest.
The decision is expected to be announced next week, and the judges will do everything possible to complete the work in time. The prediction is that Juventus could face a one-year disqualification from European competitions, with Fiorentina taking their place in the Conference League, as first in the standings after the Bianconeri. A fine is also likely.
The expected deadline appears to be Friday the 14th, but if the ruling comes after that date, there would be no more technical time to file an appeal with TAS and get a final decision before the playoff draw on August 7. UEFA would need to know the qualified Italian team and it would not be possible to put an “X” in its place.
Should the timeframe be prolonged, the inevitable consequence would be Juventus’ participation in the Conference League (a prospect that does not excite the club) and a sanction levied in 2024-2025, just when the new, richer 36-team Champions League with a single-round group will begin.”
