Juve launch appeal at the civil court

Juventus have launched another appeal in an attempt to overturn their demotion to Serie B. The club have lodged an appeal with the TAR Lazio civil court, after their original complaint was rejected by the Italian Olympic Committee's arbitration court (CONI) on Friday.

The club were originally docked 30 points, which has since been reduced to 17, and stripped of their last two titles. The outfit have failed to digest that punishment and have opted for the civil courts route for what they believe is a disproportionate sanction given that other indicted clubs such as Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina and Reggina escaped relegation.

“The verdict was unfair and too severe, even more when considering that Juventus were the only club to take their responsibilities, basically reorganising their entire organisation,” read a statement.

Juventus removed guilty parties Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo from the club immediately after the scandal broke and were hoping this would earn them favour.

“Relegation will, above all, gravely damage the identity of Juventus," the note continued. “In over a century of existence, Juve have contributed to writing the history of Italian football with a tradition of excellence which is alive as demonstrated by the nine Juventus players who took part in the recent World Cup Final.”

President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli had already stressed the fact that his club would continue in their chase for Serie A readmission. “We have to safeguard the honour of Juventus and the motivations of the Federal Court verdict convinced us that we have to fight for this team” he stated.

The Bianconeri will now be called to appear in front of the TAR on September 6 which does raise doubts over the start of the season.

Fixture lists for the forthcoming season are set to be published on 30 August, with the start of the season already put back to 9/10 September. Should they successfully win back their place in the top flight then the court could potentially block the start of the season. However, there are a number of risks which come with the path that the Italian giants have now chosen to take. The FIGC could even increase Juventus’ points penalty if they fail to overrule the initial judgement.


Read the Juventus statement here >>>