The Italian football Sports Judge has delivered his verdict on Sunday’s Mazzola incident at the Allianz Stadium — and Juventus have escaped the most severe possible sanction. The club will pay a fine of €10,000. There will be no partial stadium closure.
The Official Wording — and the Mitigating Factors
The Sports Judge’s official communication reads as follows: “Fine of €10,000: to Juventus FC for the fact that a small number in percentage of supporters gathered in the south stand first tier failed to observe the minute’s silence ordered by the FIGC in an open and conspicuous manner. Sanction mitigated in view of the club’s prompt formal distancing from said reprehensible behaviour, and the dissociation of the rest of the public present in the stadium.”
Two factors directly reduced what might otherwise have been a considerably heavier sanction: Juventus’s own immediate and unconditional official statement condemning the behaviour; and the fact that the vast majority of those present at the Allianz Stadium applauded, making clear that the turning of backs was the action of a small minority rather than a representative expression of the club’s fanbase. The Sports Judge has taken both into account. The fine reflects the seriousness of the incident; its size reflects the quality of the response.
Paratici Fined — and the Rest of the Matchday Sanctions
The Mazzola ruling was not the only decision of note from the Sports Judge. Fabio Paratici — the former Juventus sporting director, now in a senior role at Fiorentina — has been fined €5,000 for repeatedly protesting against the referee’s decision during the interval in the changing rooms. His behaviour is described as repeated and conducted towards the match official directly.
Further fines across the matchday: Fiorentina received two separate fines totalling €11,000; Como €5,000; Lazio €5,000; Venezia €5,000; Inter two fines totalling €4,000; Roma €3,000. The Mazzola fine levied on Juventus — at €10,000 — is the largest single individual club fine issued by the Sports Judge this matchday. The incident will not be forgotten. The books, at least in the formal disciplinary sense, are now closed.
