Juventus, a Serie A team, announced on Wednesday that the Italian football association's (FIGC) investigation into possible irregularities in player payments is now complete.
If proven guilty, Juventus, which has already been docked 15 Serie A points this season in a different case involving player transfers, might be subject to additional sporting sanctions.
FIGC prosecutors allege that Italy's most successful team agreed to pay players back most of their Covid-19-related wage cuts without properly accounting for it.
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Juventus JUVE.MI now has access to the documents that the FIGC prosecutor is presenting, and they have 15 days to submit their own documents or an interview request. Then, prosecutors will assess if the club needs to appear before a sports tribunal. In a statement, Juventus claimed that they had "properly applied the pertinent international accounting standards." The club might be subject to sanctions, such as an additional point deduction. It is unclear whether a prospective new penalty would impact the team during the current Serie A season or the following one.
An Italian soccer court looking into the club's finances and transfer activities penalized them 15 points for the current season in January.
Some of the club's officials were also given bans by the court, barring them from participating in Italian soccer.
Juventus has filed an appeal with Italy's Sports Guarantee Board against that decision.
Sports officials started looking into the matter after criminal prosecutors in Turin, where the club is located, opened a probe into an alleged false accounting claim.
Last month, a criminal court hearing began to determine whether to order a trial for the club, 11 other people, and former chairman Andrea Agnelli.
