Juve-FIGC to call truce?

Juventus have confirmed that they are in negotiations with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to halt their legal battle, which could see them remain in Serie B without a points penalty.

“We are in talks with the FIGC,” announced Bianconeri President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli this evening. “We are ready to negotiate with the CONI Olympic Committee.”

The club had sparked an increasingly vicious legal battle in a bid to have their Serie A status restored following the match-fixing scandal. A conciliation meeting failed and they lodged an appeal to the TAR tribunal, asking for £92m in damages if they were forced to remain in Serie B. The FIGC reacted by threatening their own court case and further sanctions against the Turin giants, but new reports suggest there is a new strategy in place.

It’s believed that Juventus were using the TAR option in order to force the Federation’s hand and step down from their original strict view of the issue. The Bianconeri’s lawyer had stated during the match-fixing trial that they’d accept Serie B without a handicap, so while Juve may publicly claim they will not stop until their top flight status is restored, their real aim is to have the 17-point penalty wiped out or at least drastically reduced. This figure is already a ‘discount’ on the original verdict of a 30-point handicap.