Juventus will not play in Europe at all next season after being removed from the Europa Conference League for breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
Uefa claimed on Friday that Juve had “violated their regulatory framework” and breached a previous settlement reached with the club back in August 2022.
They have now been excluded from all European competition for the 2023/24 campaign and additionally been hit with a €20million (£17.1m) fine, half of which is suspended and will only be enforced if their financial accounts for 2023, 2024 and 2025 do not comply with Uefa’s accounting requirements.
Juventus had been due to compete in the third-tier Conference League next season after finishing seventh in Serie A last term, having been handed a 15-point deduction in January after an investigation into their transfer dealings.
That deduction was later scrapped, though the club were handed a new 10-point penalty in May that took them down from second to seventh and out of contention for Champions League qualification.
Italian top-flight rivals Fiorentina, who finished eighth in Serie A last season, will now enter the Conference League in the play-off round instead.
Juventus reacted to Uefa’s latest ruling with a statement on Friday, confirming that they would not be appealing against the decision.
“Juventus, while continuing to consider the alleged violations insubstantial and its actions correct, has declared to accept the decision by waiving to appeal, expressly excluding, with the UEFA CFCB acknowledgment, that this may constitute admission of any liability against itself,” the club said.
“We regret the decision of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body,” said Juventus president Gianluca Ferrero. “We do not share the interpretation that has been given of our defence, 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. This decision is in line with the one taken last May in the context of the disputes with the FIGC. 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. Instead, we want the first team, our fans, our sponsors, suppliers and financial partners to be able to experience the 2023/24 season with the utmost serenity and certainty with respect to the results achievable on the pitch, especially after the turbulent past season.
“Despite this painful decision we can now face the new season by focusing on the field and not on the courts. We now focus our attention on the Championship and the Italian Cup: we will do our utmost to give our fans the greatest possible satisfaction in these competitions.”
