Andrea Agnelli has been banned for a year for allegedly selling tickets to Ultra supporters groups while the club has been handed a fine of €300,000.
The prosecutor had initially demanded that the FIGC ban Agnelli for two-and-a-half years, a fine of €50,00 as well as Juventus to play two games behind closed doors and the Curva Sud to be sealed off.
The hearing reached a judgement of the one year ban along with a fine of €20,000 for Agnelli and club executives Francesco Calvo and Stefano Merulla, while Alessandro Nicola D’Angelo was suspended for an extra three months.
The ban is not expected to impact Agnelli’s role as Juve chairman or his role with the European Club Association and his attorney has confirmed they will be appealing the decision.
“We were hoping that the President would be cleared, so obviously the sentence disappoints us, even though the charges were revised,” Franco Coppi, Agenlli’s lawyer said after the ruling.
“We can’t hide our disappointment. Appeal? We’ll certainly present one, but for now I’ll talk to my colleague Chiappero and President Agnelli about the sentence.”
Juventus have since released a statement on the clubs official website which rules out any links with organised crime:
“Following today’s verdict from the FIGC’s National Tribunal, Juventus Football Club announces that it will lodge an appeal to the FIGC Court of Appeal in the firm belief that the club is in the right, a fact which is yet to be properly acknowledged.
“Despite the lengthy bans inflicted on the president and the other individuals involved, the club is nonetheless satisfied that today’s ruling, “after a careful examination of the evidence obtained” (page 11 of the ruling), completely rules out all possible links with organised crime.
“Juventus Football Club has faith in the sporting justice system and would like to once again stress that the club has always cooperated fully with the authorities in the interests of safety and public order.”
I think there is an agenda in Italy against Juventus and the Agnelli family. But I agree fully, this is the last thing we need. As if the past shinanigans was not baggage enough. What was Andrea thinking when selling tickets to Ultras…. I read it was a measure to stop violence at matches or something, in which case he should come out and lay out the evidence that the Italian football authorities are failing the game.
I don’t understand how his ban can not impact the club?
What effect will this have? Will he still be president of the club? Is this Johan Elkanns doing from behind the scenes?
https://www.calciomercato.com/en/news/juventus-president-agnelli-banned-for-one-year-81292