After taking a closer look at the case of the Juventus vs Napoli canceled fixture, the Italian Serie A officially announced the winner.
Just before the international break, the Juventus vs Napoli match didn’t take place after the Southern side didn’t show up to play. One would’ve thought that the reigning champions liked the idea of winning their games on the pitch instead of the court. However, they fought hard to get Napoli sanctioned after not showing up to play at Allianz Arena.
The reason behind that was due to restrictions they had after some of their players tested positive for the coronavirus. Although Juventus also has several cases to worry about, Napoli was the club that had to make the trip. As the rules clearly state, any club that misses a game regardless of the reason gets automatically eliminated. They lose with a 3-0 defeat and they can even get further punishment depending on the reason they didn’t show.
Juventus expressed their intentions from the start, they would show no leniency or honor despite the situation Napoli is going through. The whole squad showed up for the match as the Southern side missed the game and lost it. After everything went down on a Sunday, a judge was going to determine if the decision would hold.
Napoli loses the game and gets a punishment.
We finally know the final resolution from Judge Gerardo Mastrandrea today. It is official that Napoli loses the match 3-0 and they get one point taken off them as punishment for not showing. We will have to wait and see if Gennaro Gattuso’s club makes an appeal after the decision, which is something everybody expects.
This new chapter in one of Italy’s biggest rivalries, sets a precedent in an already bitter war that has existed since the Maradona/Platini days. Showing no mercy in this manner fits perfectly in the narrative, it’s the North against the South all over again.
Italian football will also begin to scrutinize Juventus for everything they do from this moment forward. Keep in mind they have been involved in corruption scandals in the past, that is also a precedent that nobody will be able to ignore after today.
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