The resolution of Juventus’ appeal challenging a 15-point penalty for fraudulent accounting is slated for Thursday at the earliest, leaving the entirety of Serie A in anticipation of the outcome.
Italy’s highest sports court adjourned on Wednesday evening after a three-hour hearing without announcing a decision. However, it seems increasingly likely Juventus will be given the points back pending another trial.
That would lift Juventus from seventh to third in Serie A and right in the mix for a spot in next season’s Champions League.
Prosecutors have requested that the matter be sent to a different court for a new trial, which would see Juventus handing the points back, at least temporarily. However, Juventus wants the case thrown out altogether.
The storied Italian club was hit with a massive penalty in January. Several members of its former board were also handed bans from soccer activities, including former president Andrea Agnelli.
Juventus denied wrongdoing and appealed to Italy’s highest sports court within the Italian Olympic Committee, known as CONI.
The Juventus board resigned en masse in November following an investigation by Turin public prosecutors into alleged false bookkeeping.
A sports trial in the case was then re-opened based on information from the Turin prosecutors, leading to the points deduction.
Last month, the preliminary hearing in a Turin court was postponed until May 10 for administrative reasons.
Juventus, Agnelli, and 11 others face charges of false communications by a company listed publicly on the Milan stock exchange, obstructing watchdog agencies, fraudulent billing and market manipulation.
