Juventus to Punish Players Following McKennie Party
Weston McKennie and two Juventus teammates are set to face punishment after the USMNT midfielder reportedly hosted a house party.
GOAL - Romeo Agresti
Juventus club-mates Weston McKennie, Paulo Dybala and Arthur are set to face sanctions following reports the players attended a party at the USMNT international's villa on Wednesday evening, in violation of local Covid-19 protocols.
The midfielder was reported to have hosted an event allegedly involving between 10 and 20 individuals in total, with fellow Bianconeri stars Dybala and Arthur also in attendance.
Although the club is yet to officially comment on the matter, Juventus are expected to take strict disciplinary action, while all three players have also been subject to fines under government rules.
How did the players react?
Dybala took to social media to apologise for attending the gathering, but insists the players were not having a party.
He posted on an Instagram story: "I was wrong to stay out for dinner. it wasn't a party, but I was wrong anyway and I apologise."
The Argentina international is the only player to publicly address the reports so far.
How did this happen?
The party took place on Wednesday evening at McKennie's villa in Turin, according to regional newspaper La Stampa, with local police alerted to it around 11:30pm local time following reports.
Individuals within the grounds of the property initially refused entry to authorities before relenting, upon which point the involvement of Juve stars McKennie, Dybala and Arthur became apparent.
Further details are still unclear, although all three players were off international duty, having not been selected by their respective nations for games during the March break.
What REPERCUSSIONS will they face?
All three players were fined by local authorities after the incident, but they are expected to face further action from their club in the coming days.
Juve may choose to also only penalise them financially, but there is the risk that the club may decide to have them short-term suspensions.
That would likely be a major detriment to both players and squad, with the Bianconeri 10 points behind leaders Inter in Serie A as the business end of the season approaches.