17 years have passed since Calciopoli. It’s been quite a while, but Juventus hasn’t changed.
I heard shocking news. Juventus was punished with a point reduction. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said on its official website on the 21st (Korean time), “The Federal Court of Appeals partially accepted the appeal of the Prosecutor’s Office. In addition, the court has confirmed the innocence of the other eight clubs (Sampdoria, Pro Vercelli, Genoa, Parma, Pisa, Empoli, Novara and Pescara) and those involved.”
The reason was clear. It was because of ‘fraudulent accounting’. According to the Turin City Council, Juventus have inflated player transfer fees in order to make their financial performance appear higher than they actually were, and thus benefited financially. Centering around president Andrea Agnelli, vice president Pavel Nedved and former Juventus general manager Fabio Paratici were involved in the incident.
Juventus expressed their regret. The club appealed, “We are obeying the law and acting according to the law.” But the problem was obvious. The Italian Securities Regulatory Commission found that Juventus’ budget for 2021 was not being met and that they had not properly followed the rules. In the end, an investigation began last year, and the final penalty was a 15-point reduction.
If you are a fan who has been watching football for quite some time, you may think ‘Juventus again’. This is because Juventus is also at the center of Calciopoli, which caused a great stir in the Italian football world 17 years ago.
In Korea, it is known as a simple ‘match fixing’ case. It is known that he bribed referees and officials to take consequential profits. Of course this is also true. However, Calciopoli was a ‘crime’ that was more complex and sophisticated than match-fixing. Behind it was Alessandro Mozzi, then Juventus president. He used his personal connections to his advantage. In this process, many clubs, referees, managers, reporters, and even the police were involved.
Fortunately, the ‘scandal’ that had been going on for a long time came to the surface after a long and lengthy investigation by the police. The waves were great. After being relegated to Serie B, Juventus lost nine points and was disqualified from winning the championship for two seasons. Regina, SS Lazio, Fiorentina, and AC Milan, who were involved in other incidents, were also punished with a reduction in points. 바카라
Calciopoli has had a huge impact on Italian football. Of course, in the mid-2000s, when the incident occurred, it was regarded as a ‘falling year’ due to the Spanish La Liga, but it still had a stronger league level than England, France, and Germany. However, Juventus, AC Milan, and Lazio, which should lead the league, suffered a blow to their image as they were disciplined, and they were pushed back by other leagues in the competition to recruit high-quality players. The growth retardation of strong teams lowered the level of the entire league, which became a decisive opportunity for Italian Serie A to enter the dark period.
17 years since then. Serie A still has not regained its reputation as the best league in the world. There is a big difference from Spain, Germany and England, and it has to be compared with France or Portugal. Fortunately, Juventus has regained some competitiveness. In the 2010s, he also reached the final of the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
In such a situation, an accounting fraud incident occurred. Of course, this case is not as large or involving many clubs compared to Calciopoli. However, it reminded me of ‘Calciopoli’, which was embedded in the minds of many soccer fans. This will obviously have a negative impact on the growth of the league as a whole.