OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL: Juve gets hefty fine after FIGC accepts plea deal terms

One thing is for certain: Juventus didn’t let the second financial case it was involved in linger and hang over the club like the first one did.

And no points were sacrificed, either.

Juventus and the FIGC announced Tuesday that a plea deal has been officially reached, with the two sides agreeing to a fine of close to €720,000 as a penalty for the Bianconeri’s suspected salary maneuver case resulting from the delayed payments of salaries post-lockdown in 2020. In the original reporting Monday night, there was potential for both a points penalty and a hefty fine coming down as part of the plea deal, but with no points penalty happening, that means Juventus is locked into a Europa League or Conference League spot for next season barring any sort of punishment from UEFA.

As part of the plea deal, Juventus waives its right to further appeal previous decisions, namely the 10-point penalty that was handed down last week in the plusvalenza case.

Here is the official statement on the agreement, courtesy of Juventus’ press office:

Turin, 30 May 2023 – Juventus Football Club S.p.A. (“Juventus” or the “Company”) informs that it has defined to any effect with the Sport Justice bodies the FIGC proceeding no. 336 pf 22-23 (relating the so-called “2019/2020 and 2020/2021 salary maneuvers”, the relationships with certain sport agents, as well as certain alleged “partnerships” with other clubs) as a result of the infliction of a pecuniary sanction of Euro 718,240.00 and of the waiver of the filing of appeal before the Sport Guarantee Board before CONI (“Collegio di Garanzia dello Sport presso il CONI”) against the decision issued by the Federal Court of Appeal on 22 May 2023 in the proceeding regarding the so-called “capital gains”.

[...]

The Company, while reiterating the correctness of its actions and the soundness of its defensive arguments, has decided to file the application of sanctions on request under Article 127 CGS in the terms indicated above in the best interest of the Company itself, of its shareholders and of all stakeholders (belonging to the sports system and not). The settlement of all open FIGC sports proceedings allows the Company to achieve a definite result, settling the matter and overcoming the state of tension and instability that would inevitably descend from the continuation of disputes whose outcomes and timing would remain uncertain, also allowing the management, the coach of the First Team and the players to focus on sports activities and in particular on the overall planning of the next season (with regard to sports activities and to business relationships with sponsors, other commercial and financial counterparts).

With the plusvalenza case over after a second points penalty was handed down by the FIGC’s Court of Appeals and now a plea deal agreed to in the salary maneuvers case, Juventus’ two big off-field issues have been closed. Over a year’s worth of time with an emotional roller coaster attached to it is now a thing of the past.

The salary maneuvers case was being looked as another potential massive hurdle to try and clear for Juventus just a few weeks ago, with the original trial set for June 15. It could have drawn out into the summer months where any sort of points penalty could be applied to the 2023-24 season. But with the 10-point penalty being handed down last week, Juve acted about as fast as they could have to find a quick agreement and put all of the legal drama that has hung over the club for over a year to rest.