MADRID – Spain’s La Liga, the top-level football division which has campaigned for tighter regulation of European teams, has called for immediate sanctions on Italian giants Juventus after a surprise board overhaul on Monday due to a dispute over finances.

La Liga will ask the sport’s European governing body Uefa and Italy’s Serie A to immediately impose sanctions in the form of point deductions or financial constraints, people familiar with the situation said. 

The Spanish league, which has also clashed with other European teams including the English side Manchester City and French giants Paris Saint-Germain, complained to the sport’s authorities about Juventus earlier this year, according to a document seen by Bloomberg.

La Liga pointed to possible accounting irregularities in relation to accounting for outgoing transfers of players at above market value, and said it was concerned that the Italian club might be concealing the true wage bill agreed on with players, according to the document.

The league has expressed concern that some European teams have been able to get around so-called financial fair play rules by overstating their revenues or understating their costs. 

Barcelona, one of Spain’s top teams, have been selling off part of their equity in certain business activities and media rights in order to raise funds to buy players and pay their wages according to the rules. BLOOMBERG