Juventus have failed to reach the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in nine years and have come under increasing pressure in what has been a disappointing season so far. There is a risk of legal trouble.
“What a bankruptcy”, wrote the daily newspaper “Gazzetta dello Sport” after the 3: 4 of the Italian soccer record champions at Benfica Lisbon. In Portugal, the Turiners had been presented in phases for more than an hour – only a revolt thanks to three substitute Juve teenagers made it exciting again.
With the defeat, the Italians in Group H no longer have a chance to jump into one of the top two places and thus reach the knockout phase. Since 2014/15, Juve has always been represented in the playoffs of the European premier class.
After one win and four defeats, coach Massimiliano Allegri’s team has to fight for qualification for the Europa League in a long-distance duel with outsiders Maccabi Haifa, who have the same number of points. “We have to get over this end, which hurts us a lot,” said the coach after the disappointment against Roger Schmidt’s Portuguese team.
Situation uncomfortable for Allegri
The situation is uncomfortable for Allegri, even though club boss Andrea Agnelli had recently expressed his confidence in him until at least the end of the season after the 0-2 embarrassment in Haifa. The only bright spots were late substitutes Fabio Miretti, Matias Soulé and Iling Junior – all 19 – who created danger.
The newspaper “Tuttosport” asked on the front page under a photo of Allegris: “Who pays for the damage?” The newspaper calculated that Juventus would now lose at least 25 million euros in revenue. In September, the traditional club reported a record loss of 254.4 million euros for the previous season. In addition, there is a risk of legal trouble: the public prosecutor is investigating the association for accounting fraud in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
As the prosecutors announced, it is about amounts of 115 million euros, which the club has noted in the books from fictitious evaluations of its players. The sports court of the Italian association FIGC had already acquitted Juventus and other clubs in this case. The Juve lawyers therefore assume that there is no criminal offense.