JUVENTUS could reportedly be fined a staggering £51million for hiding an alleged secret payment to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bombshell secret documents claim Juventus promised to pay now-Manchester United star Ronaldo a £17m fee during the Covid-19 pandemic.
And the Mail says Juventus could potentially face a fine of up to £51m as punishment.
Yesterday, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported the club are being investigated amid claims they falsified documents including balance sheets in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
That’s after Juventus said players would take significant wage cuts during lockdown.
Gazzetta also claims to have already sourced a secret document signed by Ronaldo and Juventus, making reference to a “famous document that should not have theoretically existed”.
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It is alleged the agreement – possibly omitted from official audits – vowed to pay Ronaldo £17m, even if he left the Turin-based team.
Juventus were cleared of the accusation by the Sporting Justice earlier in 2022.
Meanwhile, La Stampa, another Italian newspaper, reported on Monday that Ronaldo was approached for a comment by prosecutors but refused to talk.
A statement from Juventus’ lawyers read: “It is important to remember that the subject of capital gains for so-called swap transactions is the one from which the whole investigation by the Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office, which ended yesterday, began.
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“This is an issue today that does not warrant news, insofar that two sports justice bodies have already recognised the full accounting regularity of the company, which has acted in full consistency with the practice of the football industry.
“As for salary reductions, as well as other related costs and changes, these are key corporate government initiatives adopted during the emergency of the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the suspension of football competitions and the closure of stadiums.
“The company, during a press release dated March 28 2020, made known, in full transparency to the market and to the shareholders, a reduction in salaries agreed with the players, pointing out that any additions to the remuneration would be negotiated and paid if or when the sports competitions were resumed and the stadiums were reopened.
“This exceptional time of emergency and uncertainty lasted, as is well known, from the 2019-20 football season up until the entire 2020-21 season, given that only in the spring of 2022 were the stadiums fully reopened to the public.
“The company therefore accounted for any changes to the salaries and any additions to the remuneration, in line with their progress and in compliance with accounting regulations.
“As for the general objection of having falsified the financial statements and having made improper communications to the market, Juventus and its representatives believe that they have been operated in compliance with the laws and relevant technical accounting principles.
“Moreover, during the years of interest, Juventus has distinguished itself for having initiated, in full transparency and in full compliance with the regulations, two different capital increases. These transactions have solidified Juventus as a powerhouse in the landscape of Italian football.
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“In particular, the second capital increase, launched autonomously by the company in June 2021, that occurred a few months before the investigation by the Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office became known, had the aim of strengthening the company’s assets following the strong impact of the pandemic.
“The amounts of these capital increases exceed the figures claimed within the formal disputes of this investigation, which in any case would have no effect on the company’s debt.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
