According to ESPN and the Italian Football Federation, Serie A is currently undergoing a federal investigation. The main issues being looked at are player swap deals and inflated player values, which are done by teams to balance their books. The investigation is looking at 62 different instances of this happening, with 42, or roughly 68%, of those instances being committed by giants Juventus. Serie A certainly has a past history of scandals, so expect plenty of coverage to follow on this matter.
Serie A under Federal Investigation
The Issue
Swap deals have become increasingly common in modern football. Instead of selling a player to raise funds for another, many teams opt to include a player plus capital in a deal to bring in an extra man from another club.
On paper, this sounds like a marvelous solution.
There’s an issue regarding the validity and processes of these deals, however.
COVISOC, or the Supervisory Commission for Serie A clubs, is looking into the matter. The commission is receiving documentation “concerning revenue stemming from player trading activity”. This issue is rampant in Serie A, as it’s difficult to put an exact capital value on a player involved in a swap deal. A normal transfer is straight to the point, whereas swaps have many different factors tying in.
Past Issues with Serie A and Juventus
As stated previously, Juventus is at the forefront of this issue. Of course, many are aware of Juventus’ somewhat shady past. The major match-fixing scandal, Calciopoli, was less than two decades ago. Several major teams were implicated, such as the Milan giants and Lazio, and Juventus faced the toughest punishment there is; relegation.
This, of course, plays a role in the club’s credibility applying to both the global and domestic stage. When investigations like this come up in Italy, there is a precedent that leads many to believe that Juventus are involved.
CONSOB, an Italian market regulator, is currently looking into Juventus’ revenue regarding swap deals.
Juventus, however, cannot allow this to be a distraction from their season, as they currently sit seventh in the Serie A table. Further, they are four points behind fourth-placed AS Roma. The main difficulty for the European powerhouse now is that they’re already 13 points behind AC Milan and Napoli, who are both level at the top of the league.
One form of respite from their struggles domestically this season is the fact that club is playing very well in the Champions League. At present, they find themselves atop of Group H, with their tally of nine points putting them three ahead of last season’s champions Chelsea. Going far in this competition remains the club’s biggest goal.
Juventus are facing a tough slate of matches this November. They’ll be up against the likes of Chelsea, Lazio, and Atalanta, each of these games posing uniquely daunting challenges.
Other clubs in question with regards to the latest Serie A transfer scandal remain a mystery to the public. Thirty-two percent of these deals do not involve the Black and Whites.
Reuters are reporting that Juventus have declined to comment.
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