‘I hope this will end soon’: Massimiliano Allegri admits he is ‘tired’ as Juventus fall to a shock defeat to Empoli after a 10-POINT deduction in Serie A was reinstated
- Juventus have been handed a 10 point deduction after a court hearing in Italy
- Allegri and his players heard about the decision ahead of kick-off against Empoli
- The Old Lady’s 4-1 loss to Empoli keeps the club outside of the European places
An emotional Massimiliano Allegri has admitted that he and his players have been impacted by Juventus’ ongoing court case, with the squad having been informed of the club’s 10-point deduction just before their shock 4-1 loss to Empoli.
The Italian Federal Court of Appeal announced that Juventus were to have a points deduction reinstated on Monday.
Juventus had initially seen a decision to deduct them 15 points relating to the ‘capital gains scandal’ reversed just over a month ago.
The club announced in the immediate aftermath of the latest hearing that they intend to appeal the verdict handed down to them by Italy’s top sporting court.
Allegri and his players had found out about the decision prior to kick-off against Empoli, with the sanction dropping the club down to seventh in Serie A and outside of the European qualification places.
Massimiliano Allegri admitted he was ‘tired’ during an emotional post-match press conference
Juventus suffered a 4-1 loss to Empoli on Monday after hearing about their 10-point deduction
The Serie A giants dropped from 2nd to 7th after a ruling by the Italian Federal Court of Appeal
The Juventus boss admitted the uncertainty has impacted his players during a difficult season for the club, who last week suffered an extra time defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League semi-final.
‘Tonight I am tired,’ Allegri said as reported by Football Italia, with the Juventus boss seen putting his hand on his face.
‘I think it’s human even if it seems that everything rolls off my back.
‘In Sevilla, we played a good game, the team firmly thought we could reach the [Europa League] final and in Empoli, with what we got left inside, there was this ruling.
‘I don’t know if it’s right or wrong, but we arrived at the stadium with 69 points and after the warm-up, we had 59.
‘I tried to tell the team that we still had a chance before the game with Milan, even if I was told that it may not finish here, there could be another trial, I don’t know.
‘I just hope this will end soon, respecting those who are working, then those in charge have to judge, but it hasn’t been easy for the team.’
In separate comments to broadcaster DAZN post-match, Allegri insisted his side are ‘second in the table’ and claimed there had been a ‘lack of respect’ to players and coaches due to the uncertainty caused by the case.
Allegri admitted the ongoing court case has had an impact on him and his Juventus squad
The Juventus boss said his squad were informed of the points deduction during their warm-up
‘Every time we pop our heads up for air, they push us back down,’ Allegri said.
The defeat to Empoli kept Juventus in seventh in Serie A, five points off the Champions League places, as well as being behind Atalanta and Roma, who occupy the final European positions.
The Old Lady will face fourth placed AC Milan and Udinese in their final Serie A matches of the campaign.
Juventus found an unlikely ally in Roma boss Jose Mourinho, who described the mid-season points deduction as a ‘joke’ and claimed his side would have taken a different approach to matches had they known about the sanction earlier.
Mourinho told DAZN: ‘It’s a joke to know this with two games remaining. For us and everyone, even for Juventus.
‘I am sorry for [Massimiliano] Allegri and his players, but at the league level, I have to say that it changes things a little.’
Chaos initially broke out in November of last year when the entire Juventus board sensationally resigned from their roles amid charges of false accounting.
News of Juventus being investigated then broke in January when they were handed a 15 point deduction for the way they had dealt with player exchange deals.
That ruling was revoked in April by Italy’s highest sporting court, who decided to reinstate Juventus’ previous points tally while an investigation got underway.
Now, the rollercoaster legal battles have temporarily concluded with prosecutors deciding that a new 10-point deduction should be applied.
Juventus have vowed to appeal against the latest verdict by the Italian Federal Court of Appeal
Juventus have stated their intentions to fight the charges in a new statement published on Monday evening.
The public prosecutor’s office initially requested an 11-point deduction in a hearing that got underway on Monday morning in Rome.
They additionally called for eight-month bans to be handed to seven former directors in Pavel Nedved, Enrico Vellano, Paolo Garimberti, Assia Grazioli Venier, Daniela Marilungo, Caitilin Mary Hughes, and Francesco Roncaglio.
All were exonerated by the court.
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