A few days after Juventus were deducted 15 points after reports of false accounting emerged, further sensational reports have emerged putting the club under further scrutiny.
After being handed a huge blow in their seasonal aspirations, pushing a team challenging for the title in 2nd place all the way down to 10th place in the table, the consequences may not only concern the club, but also numerous players, past and present. Among those names is a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Why are Juventus in trouble?
Juventus were hit with a massive 15-point penalty on Friday for “false accounting” and misappropriating capital gains after an appeal hearing that took place at the Italian football federation. This punishment severely jeopardizes their aspirations of playing in the Champions league next season. Prior to the penalty, the Old Lady was third in Serie A and steadily climbing, putting together results, apart from the loss to runaway league leaders Napoli. However, the penalty has now dropped the Bianconeri to midtable — 25 points behind leader Napoli and 12 points from the Champions League places.
Other than a points deduction, the boardroom has also seen a considerable exodus in the wake of the scandal. Former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and former club CEO Maurizio Arrivabene were also each banned for two years from all football-related activities, and more bans were handed out to nine other members of the club’s staff and former board members.
The longest ban of 2 ½ years was handed out to former Juventus sporting director and current Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici, while current Juventus sporting director Federico Cherubini was given 16 months and former Juventus player turned board member Pavel Nedved was given eight months.
The ban prohibits those individuals from engaging in soccer activities in Italy, with numerous requests for the ban to be extended to overall UEFA and FIFA activities. Juventus has, of course, denied wrongdoing and was initially cleared by the sports court in April. But another appeal was made after the federation collected papers from the Turin prosecutors.
At the start of the pandemic, Juventus had claimed 23 players agreed to reduce their salaries for a period of four months to help the club through the crisis. However, recent developments suggest that evidence has been discovered which suggests that the period was actually only one month, and several secret payments were made off the books to a number of players. A preliminary hearing for the same is scheduled for March.
Why are players under investigation?
According to a report put out by popular social media sports webiste Sports Bible, the players may also face suspensions. As per Italian journalist Paolo Ziliani, if the players are deemed to have accepted falsely lower wages, which is currently under investigation, then they too could be hurt with a 30-day suspension even if they are no longer at the Old Lady. This list could include upto 30 players, including newly signed Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
After a extremely difficult season for both Manchester United in 2022 and on the international front with Portugal, suffering heartbreak against Morocco in the World Cup, this is the last thing Ronaldo will be hoping for as the legend aims to turn a new page and begin a new chapter in a star studded career.
