EDITORIAL: Juventus, point deductions and a rallying cry
Juventus fans were left infuriated and helpless as the Serie A managing committee handed the club a staggering 15 points deduction by the Sport Guarantee Board of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) after finding significant breaches from the club in a capital gains case.
“They never learn” has been the talk around Europe indicated at the Bianconeri as this is not the first time Juventus are being punished for legal indictments. Nonetheless, the fans, players, and the passion which connects them remain undeterred and will continue to be in the forthcoming future.
Manager Massimiliano Allegri has already sounded the rallying cry after the deductions were implemented yesterday. Unhindered togetherness and passion will be enough to surpass this frustrating situation.
Juventus has been through much. But the club has always set an example of courage and determination to rise up like a phoenix from the ashes.
Juventus have done it before and they will do it again. The team with its fans will rise up once again. They will tremble the hearts of the opponents who now stand relieved from Juventus’ condition.
Realistically speaking, Juventus are now in 10th place with 22 points and 12 points short of Lazio and Roma who respectively occupy 4th and 5th place in the table. Despite the 5-1 drubbing at Napoli, Juve still holds the best defensive record in the league. They have conceded 12 times throughout the season. Allegri hopes to build the team from that.
The Bianconeri has star players like Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa returning to the squad from long-term injuries. This surely stands as a boost to this current vexed-up situation. Yes, it will be tough to keep in the pack for the long run. It is unlikely, though, they are going anywhere for now.
Champions League football for next season seems to be out of the question, considering the competitive atmosphere from other teams. Conference league or at best Europa League qualification doesn’t look like a far-reaching target even in this state of turmoil. Certainly, the morale of the players is set to have drastic downfalls. After all, every win, loss, and draw is the result of the team’s performance on the pitch, and the players are responsible for that, for which they get praised and criticized.
Manager Allegri is always an optimistic man and has pledged his future to Juventus after getting docked 15 points.
He has urged the players to “do their duty” and come out in their best possible form. This is the time to show their maturity to cope with dire situations. He said:
“We have to regroup and think only of matters on the pitch.
“We don’t have to think about starting again. The legal proceedings concern the company and there will be an appeal. The standings say that at the moment we have 22 points and we have to try to earn results and make up positions.
“We must continue to do our duty because the sentence is in two months’ time and we must have no regrets when the verdict comes.” (courtesy of BBC)
Of course, if the verdict goes in favor of Juventus after two months for the appeal, the point add up would then would become a serious boost for the team and the club as a whole. Still, that remains a ‘what would be’ in this situation and for now. It rests entirely on the players, manager and the twelfth man about how they respond to these circumstances.
Juventus will rejuvenate once again. Fino Alla Fine, Juve!