EXCLUSIVE | Juventus, Cobolli Gigli: “Chiné seems like a Roma fan. The transfer market? That’s impossible”
Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, former president of Juventus from 2006 to 2009, spoke exclusively to the microphones of Calciomercato.it on the sentence of the Federal Court of Appeal which imposed a 15-point penalty on the Juventus club
A tremendous blow for the Juventus. There Federal Court of Appeals on Friday it reopened the investigation into capital gains and accepted the appeal presented by Prosecutor of the FIGC. But not only: from the request of 9 points, the black and white club was inflicted a penalty of -15 in the standings.
The formation of Merry he now finds himself at 28, very far from the first four places and therefore from qualifying to the next one Champions League. A tsunami reminiscent of the scandal of Calciopoliwhen the presidency was entrusted to Giovanni Cobolli Gigli after the earthquake of summer 2006. The former number one of the ‘Old Lady’ spoke exclusively to the microphones of Calciomercato.it to comment on the sentence against Juventus and try to understand what the next scenarios could be: “I obviously didn’t expect such a weighty decision, but above all so unambiguous and unidirectional. We await what will be the description of the judges to try to understand better. They probably influenced the new information that came from Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office on the investigation Prism. It is certainly bad news for Juventus and its fans, I am also sorry for the new Board of Directors and the president Ferrero that now he will have more difficulty to do his job well. The Coni Guarantee College? Now it is difficult to reach zero as a penalty, but I think it is desirable that CONI takes into consideration the observations made by the defense lawyers of Juventus, which I do not know but which will certainly have their value”.
Penalties imposed only on Juve and its now former managers, not for the other teams involved in the capital gains affair: “I did not expect this disparity, the judgment soon from the Court seems to me quite one-sided. It would appear as if Juventus had been the parent company in realizing the capital gains it was addressing now here and now there. It is certain that the other companies have sinned in a lesser way, but they too have tried to participate in the discourse of capital gains. I state that these are all observations that I make while waiting for the hearing that will take place at the Coni Guarantee College and even before reading the circumstances issued by the prosecutor Chinese. The thing I didn’t appreciate, but which is a nuance, is Chiné who says: ‘Juventus are now behind Roma’. Juventus doesn’t go behind Roma, they go 15 points behind but it’s a mistake by a prosecutor, it almost seems like he’s a Roma fan, which certainly won’t be true. But I want to say: the objective fact is that Juventus took 15 penalty points, giving an indication ‘going behind Roma’ is a mistake in my opinion”.
The sword of Damocles in the wage bill also hangs over Juventus’ head: “The investigation that will begin in March is of a criminal nature. The accusations made are of false accounting and, depending on what will be the conclusions of the criminal investigation, those acts will also pass to the sports justice – continues Cobolli Gigli – Before the whole phase of the proceedings and yesterday’s sentence of the Court began Fed, I was a little more concerned about the criminal payroll investigation than the capital gains talk. I believed that the latter could be archived definitively and therefore I was very wrong. At this point we have to wait, see what will happen and what the first criminal judgments will be ”.
On the similarities with Calciopoli and the fans’ accusation of fury against the Juventus club, Cobolli Gigli underlines: “Juventus have always had two characteristics. First, it is the most loved team in Italy because it has the largest number of fans, around 12 million. The second is also the least loved team in Italy because all the other fans are picking on Juventus. In this top position, which Juventus has always had, there is certainly a little satisfaction on the part of someone. Then, to say that the sentences issued by prosecutors and courts are made with determination, well… I hope that is not true”.
Cobolli Gigli: “It will be a refoundation with young people”. Great towards the farewell to Juve
The heavy events involving Juve off the field could lead to a downsizing of the ‘Old Lady’ in the coming seasons, inevitably complicating the Piedmontese company’s operations and strategies on the market.
Giovanni Cobolli Gigli – speaking to the microphones of Calciomercato.it – is clear on this aspect: “Juventus’ acquisitions and transfers campaign cannot fail to be influenced by what is happening. It is safe to bet on high-level players, such as the renewal of Rabiot for one thing, it becomes more complicated or impossible. Juventus will therefore have to do a great job of cleaning up their accounts, of drastically reducing costs. So luck is that Juventus, in addition to the great champions who have disappointed or who have not yet started playing like Pogba, has young players who are proving that in pectore they can do good things. It seems to me inevitable that there will be a re-foundation, managed with criteria that are much more attentive to the income statement. I am convinced of this and I believe that the current Board of Directors, with the presidency of Ferrero, has had this as its first mandate from the majority shareholder”.
The specter, plus an eventual relegation into B series, is the sacrifice on the market of the big names in the squad available to Massimiliano Allegri: “Of course, arriving in the top four of the standings despite the 15 penalty points will be very complicated and therefore the players will remain until the end of the championship. If then Juventus were to incur other even heavier penalties, which I absolutely do not wish, perhaps it will also be necessary for the club to relieve itself of certain players while some others, who had come with the will to play in the Champions League , may ask to be sold. In that case, the re-foundation of Juventus for young people would restart“.
Finally, Cobolli Gigli, in the interview with our editorial staff, makes an appeal to the Juventus supporters: “I tell the fans to have faith and I hope, to say the right, in the fact that the team will do its best to try to give satisfaction to the fans on the field. Because, even if the team doesn’t respond on the pitch, then things would get more complicated. Furthermore, to be patient, not to anticipate judgments in the sports field too negatively and to wait for the definitive sentences to be reached. The important thing is to support the team, also avoid being too critical of Allegri as a fringe of the fans do and always try to give great support to the team. The Juventus that I have seen playing with the Monza for example I didn’t mind, against an opponent who delivers a beautiful kick and for this I congratulate a Palladino. That’s the team I would always like to see on the pitch and the fact that I’ve found it again Church at least in part, because it is not yet in place, it is a very important fact”.