Juventus has signalled that it wants to exit the European Super League project but denied that it was threatened by football governing body UEFA.
The Italian football giants said late on Tuesday that it has written to Real Madrid and Barcelona, the two other clubs still committed to the ESL plan, to discuss a potential exit from the project.
It issued the statement after Spanish media reported that Juventus had quit the project. Juventus said that while it has not withdrawn, it would be speaking to Real Madrid and Barcelona about an exit.
“Juventus will proceed with any communications due under the law following the outcome of the discussions and evaluations (regarding a potential exit),” the club said.
Spanish media outlets Marca and AS had reported that Juventus opted to quit the ESL after UEFA threatened the club with a multi-year ban from its European competitions. Juventus denied that in its statement.
“Much of the version published by the media about the contents of the communication (including any reference to alleged threats of potential sanctions by UEFA) are not true,” the club said.
Juventus is currently lined up to compete in UEFA’s third-tier competition, the Conference League, next season after it finished 7th in the Seria A standings, having been docked 10 points by the Italian football association following an investigation into capital gains made through player transfers.
The breakaway ESL was set up in April 2021 when 12 of Europe’s biggest football clubs jointly announced that they would be setting up their own league, while still participating in their national championships.
But the project began to crack within days, as nine of those clubs pulled out in the wake of criticism from fans and players.
The remaining three clubs – Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus – argued that participating clubs were contractually bound to the project.
The ESL challenge to UEFA is currently being assessed by the European Court of Justice. An interim, non-binding ruling handed down in December upheld UEFA’s right to block rival competitions. The court will issue a definitive sentence later this year.
