Juventus in turmoil as sudden Andrea Agnelli departure marks end of an era

La Liga have called for ‘immediate sporting sanctions’ against a club accused of false accounting and market manipulation

RESIGNED: Juventus club president Andrea Agnelli (L) and vice-president Pavel Nedved (R) both resigned late on Monday evening. Pic: Chris Ricco/Getty Images

News that the entire Juventus board had resigned on Monday appeared, in the Italian phrasing, like lightning from a calm sky. Even the official statement published on the club’s website just before 10pm local time buried the departures of the club president, Andrea Agnelli, and his team of directors 10 paragraphs deep in a summary of their meeting that evening.

No major news outlet had anticipated the decision. This has been a complicated season for Juventus from a sporting perspective, beginning with two wins from their first seven league games and continuing through a Champions League group-stage exit lowlighted by defeat against Maccabi Haifa. Yet a sense of optimism had returned before the World Cup break, a run of six straight wins and clean sheets lifting them to third in Serie A.