With eight games left to play, the decision will lift Juventus from seventh to third in the Serie A table - with 59 points, still 16 behind leaders Napoli but back into the qualifying spots for the lucrative Champions League.

The ruling of Italy's Sports Guarantee Board on Thursday came after Juventus, the most successful football club in Italy, appealed a sentence which Italy's football court issued in January.

The initial docking came as a result of the way the club and a number of other teams allegedly dealt with player tranfers.

The football court had also imposed bans on 11 past and present Juventus directors from holding office in Italian football.

This includes former chairman Andrea Agnelli, a prominent member of the family controlling Juventus through their investment company Exor.

Partially accepting the Juventus appeal, the Sports Guarantee Board did not clear the club of wrongdoing but ruled that a football court made up of different judges should now hold new proceedings against Juventus and the directors and come up with a more appropriate punishment.

Juventus also face potential sporting penalties, including points deductions, in a separate investigation Italy's football association (FIGC) is running into the club over alleged irregularities in their payments to players.

FIGC wrapped up investigations last week and are expected to decide whether the club should face another football tribunal.

Inquiries by sport authorities were triggered by investigations by criminal prosecutors in Turin, where the club is based, in a case regarding alleged false accounting.

A criminal court hearing to decide whether to order a trial for Andrea Agnelli, 11 other people and the club itself started last month.

Juventus have denied wrongdoing and said their accounting is in line with industry standards.

AAP