Juventus, while chasing in the championship, works to defend itself from the fire of sporting justice. A discount on the penalty could come from the Guarantee College.
As known, on 23 January the Federal Court of Appeal of the FIGC, in the context of the bis trial on capital gains, sentenced Juventus to a 15-point penalty. A decidedly heavy sentence, if one considers that the Federal Prosecutor himself, Giuseppe Chinè, had asked for a nine-point penalty during the hearing.
In fact, the sentence of the second level body of the FIGC sports justice deemed it necessary to use a heavy hand to apply the criterion of afflictivity. That is, I take 15 points away from Juventus to be sure that, at least through the championship, the team does not access the Champions League.
Juventus at the Guarantee College: change the strategy
Juventus do not doubt their reasons, as known, Continassa has already appealed to the College of Guarantee against the ruling that deprived them of 15 points in Serie A. The coach Massimiliano Allegri, while not stating it clearly, believes in the miracle, the team in championship wins, above all he has another way to get to Europe. By winning the Coppa Italia, Juventus are expected in the semifinals by Inter, the bianconeri would be qualified for the Europa League.
However, Juventus is also aware of the UEFA danger. If Nyon decided to oust the black and whites from European competitions, then there would be no third way. For this reason, Gianluca Ferrero and Maurizio Scanavino, president and CEO of the new course, know very well that a lot will depend on the Guarantee College, whose ruling will guide UEFA’s choice. Juventus would have decided: there will be a new lawyer in front of Coni.
Juve trial: a new lawyer has been chosen
According to the director of Sport Italy, Michele Criscitiello, Juventus will be represented by a new lawyer before the Board of Guarantee. In particular, the choice would be in the hands of Francesco Calvo, Chief Football Officer of Savoy. According to the well-known journalist, the decision would have taken place after a meeting in Rome with some of the leaders of our football, a comparison from which the possibility of having a discount at the Guarantee College would also have emerged. At the Foro Italico Juventus will no longer be defended by the lawyer Avilio Presutti, Angelo Clarizia will instead take his place. The fact that he is also a lawyer for Claudio Lotito, a circumstance that could generate a conflict of interest in a Champions League perspective, tends towards the exclusion of the initially designated lawyer.
Penalty: Juve believes in the 5-point discount
Francesco Calvo, at the outcome of these meetings in the shadow of the Cuppolone, would be convinced that Juventus, at the College of Guarantee, could obtain a 5-point discount, bringing down the cut to the standings by 10 lengths. Not a triumph, but certainly a door reopened towards the Champions League. Obviously, the judges of the Sports Cassation will not be able to enter into the merits of the penalty, judging only on any formal or procedural defects.
There are three possible ways: annulment of the sentence, a triumph for Continassa; confirmation of the sentence, i.e. remains on -15; referral to the Federal Court of Appeal, in a new composition. In this last case, the Collegio di Garanzia would use the formula “Better justifying the reasons that led to the ruling”, a ploy to tell the second-level FIGC body that the points should be lowered. It should be remembered that the Court should absolutely abide by these indications.
