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Juventus have revealed that the club’s sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United in the summer transfer window of 2021 forms part of an ongoing investigation into alleged false accounting in Turin.
The Serie A heavyweights have been presented with a search and seizure order as Italian authorities pick through business dealings at the Allianz Stadium.
Some high-profile figures form part of the case, including chairman Andrea Agnelli and vice-chair Pavel Nedved, with the Bianconeri finding themselves thrust back under the microscope some 15 years on from the Calciopoli scandal.
What has been said?
A statement released by Juve reads: “The club announce they have received the notification of a new search and seizure order relating to the ongoing investigations by the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Turin against the club and some of its current (Andrea Agnelli, Pavel Nedved, Stefano Cerrato and Cesare Gabasio) and previous representatives.”
No fresh allegations have been made, following the announcement that an investigation would be opened, but Juve have confirmed that the process now includes “permanent sales on the balance sheet as of 30, June 2021, relating to the economic values of the sale of the player Dos Santos Aveiro Cristiano Ronaldo.”
They went on to say: “As already disclosed, the Company is cooperating with the investigators and with Consob and trusts to clarify any aspect of interest to it as it believes to have acted in compliance with the laws and regulations governing the preparation of financial reports, in accordance with accounting principles and in line with the international practice in the football industry and market conditions.”
The bigger picture
Juve agreed the €14 million ($12m/$16m) sale of Ronaldo to Manchester United in August, with the deal including a further €8m (£7m/$9m) in bonuses.
The sanctioning of that switch has already come in for questioning after it was revealed that Juve had registered a capital loss of €14m from Ronaldo’s return to England.
They are, however, cooperating fully with the investigation and remain adamant that they have done nothing wrong.
Many club officials have already been called in for questioning, including Maurizio Arrivabene and Giovanni Manna, the director of Juventus’ U23 squad.
It has been suggested that Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, will soon form part of that process as he is quizzed on business that he played a prominent part in.