Juventus President Suspended and Fined for Ticket Sales to Ultra Groups

The president of Juventus, Andrea Agnelli, has been sentenced to a one-year suspension and a €20,000 fine for a case involving the sale of tickets to ultra groups, announced the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on Monday.

Three other officials from the Italian champions received the same punishment, while the club will have to pay a €300,000 fine for selling these tickets to groups infiltrated by members of the N'Drangheta, the Calabrian mafia, who then sold the tickets at much higher prices.

The prosecutor of the sports tribunal had requested a two-and-a-half-year suspension and the extension of the punishment to a European level for Agnelli, who has just been elected president of the European Club Association. For Juventus, they requested two matches behind closed doors in addition to the fine.

This process before the sports justice system follows an investigation opened by the Turin prosecutor's office regarding the sale of tickets by Juventus to ultra groups, in which members of the N'Drangheta had allegedly infiltrated.

The lawyer of the Juventus president asked for calm and announced to the press that they would appeal the decision.

No one from the Turin club has been convicted criminally in this case. Andrea Agnelli has only appeared as a witness. In particular, he acknowledged meetings with Rocco Dominello, an ultra close to the N'Drangheta, who was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for this case.

The sports justice system accuses Juventus of providing complete sets of tickets to ultra groups, when they are only authorized to sell four at a time.