EUROPA League
UEFA excludes Italy’s Juventus from European competition next season
Juventus will not play in Europe next season after being banned over breaches of UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play rules, while Premier League side Chelsea will pay 10 million euros for submitting incomplete financial information, Europe’s soccer governing body said on Friday.
The UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) opened a formal investigation into Juventus in December, months after the Italian side was among eight clubs that reached a settlement with UEFA for failing to comply with break-even requirements.
In a statement on Friday, European soccer’s governing body said it would “impose an additional financial contribution of 20 million euros on the club.
“Of this amount, 10 million euros is conditional and will only be enforced if the club’s annual financial statements for the financial years 2023, 2024 and 2025 do not comply with the accounting requirements,” UEFA added.
Juventus, who qualified for the Conference League playoff round after finishing seventh in Serie A last term, said they had waived the right to appeal that decision but maintained their innocence.
“We do not share the interpretation that has been given of our defense, and we remain firmly convinced of the legitimacy of our actions and the validity of our arguments. However, we have decided not to appeal this judgment,” Juventus Chairman Gianluca Ferrero said.
Ferrero added that Juventus’ decision not to appeal was in line with the policy they employed during a settlement with Italy’s soccer federation (FIGC) in May, where they opted to pay a fine of 718,000 euros and not challenge a 10-point penalty.
“As in that case, we prefer to put an end to the period of uncertainty and ensure full visibility and certainty to our internal and external stakeholders about the club’s participation in future international competitions,” Ferrero said.
“Lodging an appeal, possibly to other levels of judgement, with uncertain outcomes and timing, would increase the uncertainty with respect to our eventual participation in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League.”
The Conference League qualifying rounds for the 2023-24 season started earlier this month.
CHELSEA SETTLEMENT
UEFA also reached a settlement with Chelsea over the submission of incomplete financial information, related to “historical transactions” between 2012-19 – prior to the London club’s acquisition by the Boehly-Clearlake consortium in 2022.
“Following the club’s sale in May 2022, the new ownership identified, and proactively reported to UEFA, instances of potentially incomplete financial reporting under the club’s previous ownership,” UEFA said.
“Following its assessment, including the applicable statute of limitations, the CFCB First Chamber entered into a settlement agreement with the club which has agreed to pay a financial contribution of 10 million euros to fully resolve the reported matters.”
Chelsea, who finished 12th in the Premier League following a chaotic campaign, will not be competing in Europe in 2023-24.
-Reuters
It is not yet certain for Manchester United if the struggling former giants will play in the Europa League despite winning the FA Cup.
The club will discover their Europa League fate after UEFA threaten relegation
They have been left concerned they could be relegated to the Europa Conference League after Nice, who Sir Jim Ratcliffe also owns, qualified for the Europa League
According to British publication, Mirror, Manchester United will be allowed to play in the Europa League after UEFA came to a decision on their future in the competition.
Though they finished eighth in the Premier League, Erik ten Hag’s side won the FA Cup. That win earned them automatic qualification to Europe’s second-tier competition for next season.
But there had been some doubt that they would be allowed to play in the competition after Nice also qualified.
The French side are also owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe through his INEOS chemical company.They finished fifth in Ligue 1 in the season just gone and UEFA rules state that clubs owned by the same company are not allowed to play in the same European competition.
Normally, the team that finished lower in their respective league would be relegated to the Europa Conference League, in this case United.
But according to The Times, both United and Nice will be allowed to play in the Europa league next term. UEFA’s Club Financial Control Board is due to issue a ruling on multi-club ownership issues on Monday.
It is expected that the CFCB will give their approval to United playing alongside Nice, subject to certain conditions. They will also be warned that the upcoming campaign will be viewed as a transitional one and this leeway will not be given in future years.
The CFCB is also set to rule that Nice should be operated via a ‘blind trust’ by a panel approved by UEFA. It is a model that was used by AC Milan and Toulouse this season, with both clubs being owned by Red Bird Capital.
It is reported that a UEFA document on multi-club ownership says a blind trust would be a ‘temporary alternative… granted on an exceptional basis for the 2024-25 Uefa competitions’. It also states that UEFA’s multi-club ownership rule may be changed for future seasons.
INEOS only own 27.7 percent of United, but Ratcliffe has been handed control of the club’s football and business operations by majority owners the Glazer family. The British billionaire previously bought Nice in 2019.
Ratcliffe also owns Swiss Super League side Lausanne-Sport, though they have not qualified for a European competition for next year. The ruling around multi-club ownership also affects Manchester City.
Atalanta’s Europa League hat-trick hero Ademola Lookman admitted that he had to wait a while for success after years in and out of favour at different clubs but said it was “just the beginning” after he sank Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.
The Nigeria forward became the first person to score a hat-trick in a Europa League final in the 3-0 win, which handed the Bergamo club their first major trophy in 61 years and ended the German champions’ remarkable 51-game unbeaten streak.
“Maybe it could have come earlier, but it’s come now,” said the 26-year-old Lookman, who bounced around in England with Everton, Fulham and Leicester City and in Germany with RB Leipzig before settling in Atalanta two seasons ago.
“This is just the beginning. I hope for more nights like this and to just keep getting better and better,” he told a news conference.
Lookman, who was a youth international for England, credited the Atalanta coaching staff and leadership of manager Gian Piero Gasperini for his revival. Since arriving at the club, he has scored 30 goals in 76 matches.
He pointed in particular to Gasperini’s belief in attacking football that has helped him to flourish.
“The first conversations I had with him made me look at football a lot different. It made things simple. It allowed me to play my game in a different light. I’m very grateful to him,” he said.
Asked if he would have imagined such a night in his wildest dreams while starting out as a teenager at Charlton Athletic, Lookman responded: “Probably yeah.”
“I’ve always had the confidence in my ability to create, to score goals, to help my team mates. In the past two years I’ve been able to take my game to a whole new level,” he said.
-Reuters
Atalanta’s hat-trick hero Ademola Lookman was named Player of the Match after scoring a historic hat trick for his club in the Europa League final match.
UEFA’s Technical Observer Panel said: “[It’s awarded] for obvious reasons and his all-round enthusiasm and energy. [He was] really sharp and his execution was spot on.”
Ademola Lookman, Player of the Match, speaking to TNT Sports: remarked: “It’s one of the best nights of my life. It was an amazing performance from the team. We did it – fantastic. I’m just happy we won. We made history tonight.”
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