UEFA Confirm Juventus Europa Conference League Ban
UEFA have finally confirmed Juventus will serve a one-year ban from UEFA European competitions and pay an initial €10m fine for breaches of financial fair play (FFP) and breaches of club licensing. This ban means they will not take part in this season’s Europa Conference League.
Aston Villa Seeded for Europa Conference League
UEFA’s action means that Aston Villa are now guaranteed to be a seeded team in the Europa Conference League two-legged play-off round, meaning the chances of an easier pathway into the group stages has increased.
Juventus have been replaced by last season’s Europa Conference League finalists, Fiorentina, who will be viewed as considerably weaker opposition than a team that initially qualified for the Champions League in Serie A, before a 10-point penalty demoted them to the Europa Conference League.
Aston Villa’s Chances to Win Tournament Increase
Juventus were no doubt the favourites for the tournament, certainly going by their coefficient ranking. So, Aston Villa will now increasingly fancy their chances to win the tournament, considering the progress they’ve made under Unai Emery and their new summer signings. If they can get through the tricky play-off round, then they should bed themselves in during the group stage and be ready, when it comes to the business end of the tournament.
UEFA’s Statement on Juventus
UEFA’s statement on Juventus’s removal stated:
“The CFCB First Chamber concluded that Juventus (ITA) violated the UEFA’s regulatory framework and breached the settlement agreement signed in August 2022. As a result, the CFCB First Chamber terminated the settlement agreement concluded with the club and decided:
“To exclude Juventus from the 2023/24 UEFA men’s club competition;
“And impose an additional financial contribution of €20 million on the club. Of this amount, €10 million 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 as defined in Annex G of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability Regulations.”
Chelsea’s FFP Fine
Meanwhile, Chelsea, a team who won’t be troubling UEFA’s European tournaments this season with their presence, were fined £8.57m for “submitting incomplete financial information” between the period of 2012 and 2019.
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