Juventus have been handed an 10-point deduction that will ruin their chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

The Old Lady, who sit second in Serie A and face Empoli tonight, were handed the punishment at a court hearing this afternoon as the latest twist in their false accounting case. An 11-point penalty had been suggested, but the panel ultimately settled on 10.

Juve were initially given a 15-point penalty linked to alleged financial irregularities and transfer dealings that saw the price of players inflated. But it was quashed on appeal a month ago to see Max Allegri’s team return to the top four.

Juventus have been dealt a blow in their top four hopes

Juventus have been dealt a blow in their top four hopes.

A host of the club’s top executives have been suspended for their roles in the case - including Fabio Paratici, who was forced to step aside in his role as Tottenham Hotspur chief having been handed a 30-month ban that was subsequently applied worldwide by FIFA.

Paratici, who worked at Juve from 2010 until 2021, failed in his bid to have his suspension overturned by Italy’s highest sports court on April 20.

He has the option to take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland or start a civil court case but it could be several months before either action is completed.

Pavel Nedved, Paolo Garimberti and Enrico Vellano were all successful in appealing against their charges but Paratici, Andrea Agnelli and Federico Cherubini had their appeals rejected.

Max Allegri's side learned their punishment shortly before a Serie A game against Empoli

As reported by Football Italia, it is theoretically possible for Juventus to lodge a further appeal. However, it has been suggested that there is little chance of this being successful.