UEFA ban Juventus from UECL, agree €10m settlement with Chelsea

UEFA has banned Italian giants Juventus from competing in European competitions during the upcoming 2023/24 season. 

This ban means the Bianconeri will not play in the Europa Conference League this year.

The European soccer governing body formally announced the decision on Friday. Juventus declared they would not appeal against the ruling. 

UEFA has imposed a hefty financial penalty on Juventus as part of the punishment. The club must pay an additional €20 million, with €10m contingent on their financial statements for the next three years, adhering to UEFA’s stringent accounting requirements.

This ban comes after Juventus’ troubles during the 2022/23 Serie A season. The Italian FA accused the club guilty of violating financial rules, resulting in a ten-point deduction in the league standings. 

This deduction placed Juventus in seventh position as they dropped out of a Champions League spot into the Europa Conference League, only to be denied that spot by UEFA’s recent ban.

Fiorentina will take Juventus’ spot in the UEFA Conference League. Fans of the Viola will be thrilled as they get a chance to shine on the European stage, hoping to go one step further than last season when they narrowly lost to West Ham United in the final.

UEFA has also fined Chelsea €10m for historical breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. 

The club faced issues with incomplete financial information spanning from 2012 to 2019 under the previous ownership of Roman Abramovich. 

Fortunately for Chelsea, their new ownership, a consortium led by Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly, proactively alerted UEFA about the historical financial discrepancies, preventing further sporting sanctions.

However, Chelsea fans will be disheartened as their beloved team will not participate in any European competitions next season after finishing a disappointing 12th in the Premier League during the 2022/23 campaign.