Credit: Juventus.com
Juventus have received a 10-point penalty, which will lessen their prospects of making the Champions League for the following season. At a court hearing on Monday, the Old Lady of Turin, who were second in the Serie A and scheduled to play Empoli, were given the penalty as the latest development in their false accounting case. Although an 11-point punishment was proposed, the panel decided on 10 instead.
Due to alleged financial irregularities and player price inflation during transfers, Juve have initially assessed a 15-point fine. However, it was overturned on appeal a month ago, allowing Max Allegri's squad to get back into the top four.
Prior to their matchup with Empoli, Juve were dropped from second in the standings to outside the Champions League spots as a result of the points deduction. But they faced an embarrassing 4-1 defeat against Empoli and lost a chance to close in the points difference with the fourth-placed AC Milan. Even getting all six points from their remaining two games may not be enough for them to make it back into the top four at the end of the season. The club is five points behind Milan in the table with two games remaining this season and two points behind fifth-placed Atalanta, who currently occupy the qualification spot for the second-tier European championship.
But there is still a chance that Juventus can qualify for next year’s UEFA Champions League. Juventus need to defeat Milan and Udinese in order to stand a chance to qualify for the Champions League the following season. The team must also hope that Roma and Atalanta do not win their last two matches of the campaign while the Rossoneri also drop points against Hellas Verona. If Juventus defeat Udinese and Milan, the Rossoneri will have to defeat Verona in order to go to the Champions League.
The chances of all the above results going Juventus’s way are slim, but there is still a chance for them to qualify. Juventus fans will be certainly hoping that Juventus qualify for yet another UEFA Champions League.
