Tax fraud Cristiano's secret letter
Serie A Results and classification
The mechanism consisted of increasing the market value of the footballers to generate higher income in their transfers and achieve a fictitious capital gain.
In this way, Juventus could reduce losses, not recapitalize and strengthen its squad.
However, on Friday, the Italian Federal Public Ministry of Appeals partially accepted the appeal of the Italian Football Federation Prosecutor's Office (FIGC) and punished the Turin club with the loss of 15 points in Serie A. The most serious sanction for the
Neroazzurri
since 2005, when they were relegated to Serie B due to the
Calciopoli
case .
The measures against the board of directors of the Piedmontese club range from 16 months of disqualification for sports director
Federico Cherubini
to 30 for former football director
Fabio Paratici
.
Likewise, former president
Andrea Agnelli
and former CEO
Maurizio Arrivabene
received 24 months of punishment.
After the FIGC investigation, eight other clubs involved (Empoli, Genoa, Novara, Parma, Pescara, Pisa, Pro Vercelli and Sampdoria), along with their respective coaches and managers, were acquitted.
A terrible blow for the great dominator of Italian football during the last decade, which this course could not take flight.
Far from the expectations generated, the team led by
Massimiliano Allegri
was eliminated from the Champions League in the group stage and sailed 13 points behind Napoli, the outstanding leader of the table.
After the judicial decision, the
Vecchia Signora
collapsed to tenth position in the table, 12 points behind the Champions League positions.
"There are still 60 points at stake. We will see where we are on June 5," Allegri predicted on Saturday.
'Prism Research'
The convulsions in the offices were unleashed on November 28, when Agnelli decided to resign from all his positions and functions due to the investigations of the Prosecutor's Office.
Under the name of 'Prism Investigation', the authorities put the magnifying glass on tax fraud in the financial years of 2020 and 2021 and the generation of capital gains in various transactions.
Precisely this last movement, that of capital gains, is the reason for the sanction that arrived this Friday and that, for the first time, united the problems of the directive with the sports ones, which until this Friday were separate.
Or at least their bond wasn't as close as it is now.
The first movement investigated, that of tax fraud, dates back to March 2020, when the entity announced that it had reached an agreement with several footballers whereby they gave up four months of their salary to alleviate the financial situation of the club in full swing. pandemic.
March 27 earrings
However, after the appearance of several documents, such as the one known as
Cristiano Ronaldo
's 'secret letter' , the agreement was not for a waiver of salary, but for a deferral of payment for three of the four months, an action that would have supposed a saving by not having included in his economic balance the deferred salary as a debt and having paid the amounts through private agreements.
The second movement is that of capital gains.
The Justice inquired whether the Italian club had increased the real market price of its players to get more benefit in their subsequent sale, in which the nine acquitted clubs could also have been involved.
However, the largest Italian
calcium
entity has resorted to the Sports Guarantee College of the Italian Olympic Committee, the third and last level of sports justice.
In addition, on March 27 the preliminary hearing will begin in the framework of the 'Prism Investigation'.
In less than two months, therefore, the judicial process that the Turin Prosecutor's Office requested on December 1 against Agnelli and the entire resigned board of directors will continue.
A ticket for the Champions
In sports, the scenario seems, at least, complicated.
Almost a leap of faith.
This Sunday (8:45 p.m.), Juve receives an unleashed Atalanta at their stadium after their wins against Salernitana (8-2) and Spezia (5-2).
Given that Napoli play at a different pace and that Inter and Milan are 15 and 17 points behind, respectively, it seems difficult to think about finishing the season in the top three.
The fastest way to access the next Champions League seems to be the Europa League title, although the second continental tournament also seems like a tortuous path.
The first step must be taken on February 16, in the first leg of the round of 32 against Nantes.
In case of not obtaining the ticket for the maximum competition, the income would be dramatically reduced, both in sales and in sponsors.
Likewise, some of its best assets, such as
Federico Chiesa
,
Dusan Vlahovic
,
Ángel di María
,
Leo Bonucci
or
Leandro Paredes
could leave Turin in search of new, more exciting projects.
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