Juventus threatened with Serie A expulsion over Super League stance

Juventus have been threatened with expulsion from Serie A if they continue refusing to withdraw from the defunct breakaway Super League.

As many as nine of the original 12 founding clubs pulled out of the controversial new competition as a result of widespread condemnation and fan backlash, less than 72 hours after the proposal first came to light.

Those nine teams have all accepted sanctions from UEFA as a result of their actions, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus issued a joint statement over the weekend, pledging their continued support for the project and refusing to abandon it.

But if Juve persist with the concept, it could cost them their place in Serie A next season.

Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian Football Federation, has told a radio station in Napoli that the ‘rules are clear’ when it comes to additional competitions and will be enforced.

“If Juventus are still part of the Super League when it enters next season, [the club] cannot participate in Serie A,” Gravina said, in quotes carried by Sky Sports. “I would be sorry for the fans, but rules are rules and they are applied for everyone. I hope this hold out ends soon.”

Juve are Italy’s most successful club and have won 36 Serie A titles, including nine in a row from the 2011/12 to the 2019/20 season.

But their dominance of Italian football has come to an end under Andrea Pirlo, and La Vecchia Signora are now desperately scrambling to qualify for next season's Champions League - the very competition they wanted to break away from in order to create a new elitist variation that guaranteed them entry every season.

Juventus are currently outside of the top four with just three games remaining, and must hope that results elsewhere go their way between now and the end of the season. If they don't, the club's increasing amounts of debt will get worse - potentially leading to exits for a number of high-profile players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala.

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