This week has seen significant developments in the case of Juventus. On Wednesday, the club appointed Gianluca Ferrero as Chairman and Maurizio Scanavino as Chief Executive Officer. Just two days later, the Italian Football Association (FIGC) announced that Juventus would be docked 15 points and several former club officials were given bans. The investigation was into inflated player transfer fees and was reopened due to claims that members of the first team squad had received money "in the black" during the Covid-19 pandemic. This means that the players and club would have avoided paying tax on those sums and falsified their books, which is considered financial fraud. Former President Andrea Agnelli and ex-CEO Maurizio Arrivabene were each given two-year bans, whilst Sporting Director Federico Cherubini and former Vice President Pavel Nedved were handed 16-month and 8-month bans respectively. Fabio Paratici, now at Tottenham, was given a 30-month ban.
Juventus have released a statement expressing their intention to appeal the ruling and the reasons behind the hefty penalty should be revealed in the next 10 days. The investigation is ongoing and further sanctions could be issued if financial fraud is found to have taken place during the pandemic. As it stands, this sets a legal precedent that other clubs could be prosecuted by. This week's developments are a reminder of the magnitude of the situation and that this is only the beginning for Juventus.