(Milan) The Italian police financial brigade raided the offices of Juventus in Turin, as part of an investigation into recent transfers of players which could have given rise to the publication of false amounts in the club’s balance sheets, we learned from a judicial source.
According to a statement released on Friday evening by the Turin prosecutor’s office, the investigation focuses on player movements for the past three seasons, and how the annual financial results have been presented, between 2019 and 2021.
Juventus is suspected of having given false information to investors, and of having produced invoices for non-existent transactions, adds the prosecutor’s office.
According to Italian media, six leaders of the Turin club are in the crosshairs of the financial brigade. The club, in a statement released on Saturday evening, confirmed that among them were President Andrea Agnelli, Vice-President and former Czech player Pavel Nedved, as well as former sporting director Fabio Paratici, who now works in England, at Tottenham. .
According to the Italian national press agency ANSA, on Saturday morning, investigators are particularly interested in the arrival of Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2018 for 100 million euros (145 million CAN), then his return to Manchester United in last August for 15 million euros (22 million CAN), plus 8 million euros (12 million CAN) as an option depending on the sports performance of the player.
Last month, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) launched its own investigation into a series of questionable transfers, most of those moves involving Juventus. Some would have given rise to an artificial increase in the value of players, for accounting reasons, or to exchanges of players to help balance the accounts.