Troubled Juventus docked 15 points for false accounting

MODERN soccer legend and AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly high on the list of potential replacements for US World Cup manager Gregg Berhalter, should he leave the national team, according to TheSun.

Berhalter's contract with the US national team expired in early January, although US soccer has stated an o cial decision on his future will not be made until they complete an investigation into an incident that came to light in the after math of the World Cup.

Earlier this month, Berhalter was forced to publicly admit to kicking wife Rosalind in the legs during a violent argument back in 1991. In his statement, he claimed he was threatened by a blackmailer, whom he did not identify, saying the person approached US soccer and threatened to 'take him down' with the information.

Mourinho's Roma squad is currently in seventh in Serie A with 34 points and sit behind Lazio and Atalanta on goal di erence although all three are even on points.

He was also connected with the head coaching job for the Portuguese national team and Brazilian national team jobs. The Portuguese job was recently lled by longtime Belgian manager Roberto Matinez who agreed to ll the position.

The United States are also said to have offered Zinedine Zidane the national team job but he declined.

The current national team however is still in the process of rebounding from the United States 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the World Cup Round of 16.

While the players have since returned to their club teams to either resume the regular season or are in training camps awaiting the start of the season many of team USA's stars are facing potential transfer moves to new clubs.

Star player Christian Pulisic has been linked with a move away from Premier League giant Chelsea FC, although any move appears to have been halted after he su ered a knee injury, while mid elder Weston McKennie recently rejected a move to EPL side Aston Villa in hopes of a move to a bigger team.

Mourinho has accumulated a large amount of accolades during his outstanding coaching career which has seen him have success with multiple clubs in Portugal, England, and Italy however he has maintained the want for success at the international level before one day ending his career.

'Yes, I want to coach a national team,

I want to have the experience of a World Cup and European Championship, the emotion of the short competition,' Mourinho said in 2020.

As for the blackmailing and information leading to Berhalter's investigation it later emerged that the parents of USA international Gio Reyna, Claudio and Danielle, had informed the country's governing body about the incident in question.

Reyna, who represents Borussia Dortmund at club level, was widely expected to be a central gure for USA at the recent Qatar World Cup, only to end up being used as a substitute by Berhalter.

Danielle, fueled by frustration with her son's lack of minutes, then made a move that Berhalter insists was a clear attempt 'to bring about the end of my relationship with US Soccer'. He also admitted the incident was 'a shameful moment and one I regret to this day'.

As for the blackmailing and information leading to Berhalter's investigation it later emerged that the parents of USA international Gio Reyna, Claudio and Danielle, had informed the country's governing body about the incident in question.

Reyna, who represents Borussia Dortmund at club level, was widely expected to be a central gure for USA at the recent Qatar World Cup, only to end up being used as a substitute by Berhalter. Danielle, fuelled by frustration with her son's lack of minutes, then made a move that Berhalter insists was a clear attempt 'to bring about the end of my relationship with US Soccer'. He also admitted the incident was 'a shameful moment and one I regret to this day'. Dailymail

MILAN Juventus’ troubled start to the new year slipped into disaster on Friday after the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) docked the Serie A giants 15 points for using transfers to arti cially boost their balance sheet.

The FIGC said in a statement that the points sanction was to be in icted this season, a huge blow to Juve, whose chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League are now greatly compromised.

Juve drop from third to 10th place on just 22 points, 15 points away from the top four positions in Italy’s top ight. Prosecutors had initially requested a reduction of just nine points.

Juve, who have denied any wrongdoing, plan to appeal to the Sport Guarantee Board, in accordance with the terms of the Sport Justice Code, the club said in a statement late on Friday.

Missing out on Europe’s top and richest club competition would be a further blow to the club’s accounts, which last season were nearly €239 million (S$342.3 million) in the red.

Current sporting director Federico Cherubini was also banned for 16 months, another serious punishment which the club said in a statement they would appeal at the Italian Olympic Committee.

The club’s former leadership were also handed long bans by the FIGC, including two years to former chairman Andrea Agnelli and ex-chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene and 30 months to former sporting director Fabio Paratici, now at English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

The FIGC also said that it had asked that the bans which also included eight months for former vicepresident and playing icon Pavel Nedved be extended beyond Italy to the jurisdictions of international governing bodies Uefa and Fifa.

AFP