UEFA removes Juventus from European competition and fines Chelsea in financial rule-breaking cases

GENEVA: Juventus were removed from European competition next season and Chelsea were fined $11 million in separate UEFA rulings over financial rules breaches on Friday. The expulsion of Juventus from the third-tier Europa Conference League was expected because of a false accounting case that already saw the two-time European champion deducted 10 points in Serie A. That penalty dropped Juventus out of Champions League qualification places.

Juventus’ spot in the Europa Conference League should go to Fiorentina in the playoffs round starting on Aug. 24. UEFA said Friday that Juventus also must pay a fine of 10 million euros ($11 million) for breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

A further 10 million euros can be deducted if the club fail to comply with UEFA financial monitoring rules in future seasons. In a separate case, Chelsea will also pay a settlement of 10 million euros to UEFA for incorrect financial information submitted between 2012 and 2019 when the club were owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. Chelsea’s current American-led ownership group reported “potentially incomplete financial reporting under the club’s previous ownership” in May last year, UEFA said.

Chelsea, which won the Champions League in 2012 and 2021, did not qualify for the next editions of European competitions. UEFA had opened an investigation against Juventus in December for probable breaches of FFP rules after prosecutors in Italy unsealed their case against the storied club. Juventus were ultimately docked 10 points in Serie A by Italian authorities which dropped the club from potentially finishing in the top four and earning a place in the next Champions League to finish seventh — enough only for the third-tier Conference League.