UEFA bans Juventus from this season’s Europa Conference League, fines Chelsea for FFP breach
Juventus are facing a major setback this season. UEFA, the governing body for European football, has banned the Italian club from participating.
In the Europa Conference League due to violations of its Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play rules.
The decision comes after a formal investigation was initiated by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) in December, which raised concerns about the club’s compliance with financial regulations.
As part of the punishment, UEFA has imposed an additional financial contribution of 20 million euros on Juventus. However, half of this amount, 10 million euros, will only be enforced if the club’s financial statements for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025 fail to meet the required accounting standards.
In a statement, UEFA said it would “impose an additional financial contribution of 20 million euros on the club. Of this amount, 10 million euros is conditional and will only be enforced if the club’s annual financial statements for the financial years 2023, 2024 and 2025 do not comply with the accounting requirements.”
Despite the ban, Juventus have decided not to appeal the decision, although they maintain their innocence. Club Chairman Gianluca Ferrero stated that while they disagree with the interpretation of their defense, they prefer to end the period of uncertainty surrounding their participation in international competitions. This approach aligns with their previous settlement with Italy’s football federation, where they paid a fine and accepted a point penalty without appealing.
“We do not share the interpretation that has been given of our defense, and we remain firmly convinced of the legitimacy of our actions and the validity of our arguments. However, we have decided not to appeal this judgment,” Juventus Chairman said.
“As in that case, we prefer to put an end to the period of uncertainty and ensure full visibility and certainty to our internal and external stakeholders about the club’s participation in future international competitions. Lodging an appeal, possibly to other levels of judgement, with uncertain outcomes and timing, would increase the uncertainty with respect to our eventual participation in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League.”
Juventus’ exclusion from the Europa Conference League is a significant blow to the club, given their previous standing in Serie A, where they finished seventh and qualified for the playoff round of the competition.
In addition to Juventus, Premier League club Chelsea have also faced repercussions from UEFA. The London-based club has been fined 10 million euros for submitting incomplete financial information related to historical transactions that occurred between 2012 and 2019.
The discrepancies were discovered after Chelsea were acquired by the Boehly-Clearlake consortium in 2022, and the new ownership voluntarily reported the issues to UEFA. With their 12th-place finish in the Premier League, Chelsea will not be participating in Europe in the 2023-24 season.
“Following the club’s sale in May 2022, the new ownership identified, and proactively reported to UEFA, instances of potentially incomplete financial reporting under the club’s previous ownership,” UEFA said.
“Following its assessment, including the applicable statute of limitations, the CFCB First Chamber entered into a settlement agreement with the club which has agreed to pay a financial contribution of 10 million euros to fully resolve the reported matters.”