Turin reacted with dismay to Juventus’ points deduction the club was awarded after all. Trainer Massimiliano Allegri was furious. After the battering at Empoli, the coach let himself go.
Juventus furious after financial consequence: “A torture, we are poisoned”
“Every time we get back up, they push us back down,” Allegri said in front of DAZN cameras. Juventus was deducted ten points. That while an earlier point penalty was still withdrawn. The penalty put Champions League football out of sight. He continued, “It goes back and forth all the time, but I decide once and for all.”
The timing of the punishment was also not pleasant, Allegri said. Ten minutes before his team had to leave the tunnel, the players heard about the sanction. He revealed, “A strange situation, of course. And then Empoli scored right on the first chance. We should not look for alibis or excuses, because we are Juventus. We must always win. It does not justify total collapse, we must accept defeat. Only before the kick-off we were second, now seventh. Other than that we’ll be silent.”
“We fought for the points for three months, but we had to give them away”
“I can’t blame the boys, because even if we won today, there was still a chance for the Champions League,” said Allegri. “It all happened in a week that also lost the Europa League semi-final. Unfortunately this is how it is now, but I can assure you that our situation was not easy. It won’t be for the next few days either. We fought for the points for three months, but we had to give them away.”
“It’s not fair,” Allegri agreed. He thinks the punishment is disproportionate: “It’s abnormal. They’ve been playing games with us since January. The psychological aspect is fundamental in football. We did the maximum under the circumstances. This is a surreal situation. Fifteen minutes before kick-off you are second, but as soon as we start we are seventh. Then you have to gasp for air.”
Juventus was penalized for an accounting disorder. Initially, it had already had a fifteen-point reduction, but that sanction was reversed. Now it has become ten later. Allegri concluded, “A lack of respect for players and coaches. Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. Enough is enough. This is just torture. I wish they had told me two months ago. If we knew then that we were going to be poisoned, at least we would know. Only: Juventus has always got back on its feet.”
