Napoli win appeal over Juventus no-show

We’re happy, says president De Laurentiis

Published - December 24, 2020 04:14 am IST - ROME

Napoli on Tuesday won its appeal after being handed a 3-0 defeat and a one-point deduction for failing to turn up to play Juventus because of coronavirus cases.

Napoli took its case to the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), the highest level of sporting justice in Italy, after having appeals rejected by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Serie A.

CONI said in a statement it “accepted the appeal presented by Napoli and annulled without postponement the decision of the Sports Court of Appeal at the FIGC ... including the penalty of losing the match and the deduction of one point.”

The October 4 fixture was abandoned rather than called off when Napoli did not travel to Turin.

“We’re happy,” Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said on Twitter of the decision.

“We live in a country where those who respect the laws cannot be convicted.

“And Napoli always follows the rules.”

The restoration of a point moves Napoli up to third in the standings ahead of Juventus, which has lost three points, and is fourth.

“The first comment is that we have always been outsiders in the affair and indifferent to it,” said Juventus chief football officer Fabio Paratici. “When they tell us to play we’ll go play. That said, we were also there on October 4.”

Italian media report that the match at Juve’s Allianz Stadium will be rescheduled for January 13.

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