Cristiano Ronaldo and 22 others are currently facing the risk of being banned from football over £79m Juventus wage scandal.
After the resignation of key stakeholders of the club, Juventus’ problems are gradually piling up in their stark enormity amid fresh claims bordering on £79m wage scandal.
New reports in Italian media have revealed more than 20 players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, were paid €90m (£79.5m) in deferred wages off book.
Top on the list of players and coaches mentioned in the new document are former head coach Maurizio Sarri, captain Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala.
The documents showed Ronaldo was owed £17.2m in salary after agreeing to a four-month deferral during the Covid-19 interrupted 2019/20 season.
Cristiano Ronaldo was a high-earner at Juventus. The former Manchester United forward was earning almost four times more than Juventus’ next best-paid player – Miralem Pjanic.
Pjanic was owed £5.1m, Aaron Ramsey, £4.2million, and Adrien Rabiot £5million as shown by the document.
Now, the new allegations center on reports that the Italian outfit have been keeping false records regarding players’ wages and other financial entitlements.
Italian Prosecutors have swung into action, reviewing the files as part of an investigation into the alleged false book-keeping at the club relating to transfers as well as other payments, including salaries.
In 2022, the Italian football federation, FIGC, opened a probe into 62 deals and transactions completed by clubs, with Juventus at the center of the investigations.
According to reports, the Italian football governing body had a tip-off that different player transactions between 2018 and 2020 had been artificially inflated by clubs to beat off the searchlights of Financial Fair Play rules.
Juventus, unsurprisingly, fell into the spotlights for allegedly falsifying financial documents and records connected to transfers and players’ salaries.
Meanwhile, the Serie A giants have already been docked 15 points in Serie A after the prosecutors found enough evidence they had breached the financial rules of the game.
Now, they are raising an appeal with the Italian Olympic Committee, and a decision on whether to overturn the point deduction will be reached in March, according to reports.
With these fresh claims of twisted financial figures linked to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, and others, the club and players could be handed additional 30-day suspensions – that would only apply to Italian football – should it be proven that they were knowingly complicit.
Meanwhile, the club confirmed the wage deferrals in a statement, stating that the economic and financial effects of the understanding reached are positive for about €90m for the 2019/2020 financial year.
The understanding provides for the reduction of the compensation for an amount equal to the monthly payments of March, April, May, and June 2020.
But they are alleged to have repaid three of the four months off the club’s balance sheet.
Amid the encircling crisis that has plagued the club, key board members, including president Andrea Agnelli and former midfield star Pavel Nedved, resigned while everyone awaits the result of the investigation.
Meanwhile, the club has insisted they are innocent of all charges as alleged.
Juventus officials have a sordid history with Italian football administrators.
Paratici, who worked at Juve for 11 years before joining Tottenham in 2021 was banned from Italian football for 30 months.
There are reports, the Italian football administrators are even planning to have the ban extended to European football, and possibly world football.
All fingers are now crossed on what will be the outcome of these fresh allegations which is believed will further compound the woes of Juventus if proven.
Meanwhile, Italian Prosecutors are reportedly asking for a 40-day gap to conclude investigations
There are projections, the Italian giants may likely be banned from UEFA club competitions, including former players and staff depending on the outcome of the investigations by the prosecutors.
