Juventus are under investigation for false accounting, GOAL can confirm.
Italian police visited the Italian club’s offices in Turin and Milan on Friday where they took documents about transfers, invoices and financial statements.
The investigation is regarding profit from transfers and agents fees between 2019 and 2021.
What do we know?
Six Juve officials as well as the club itself are under investigation, including president Andrea Agnelli and vice-president Pavel Nedved.
Former sporting director Fabio Paratici, who joined Tottenham in the summer, is also among those in the spotlight.
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Italian football watchdog COVISOC and finance regulator Consob have already opened their investigation.
A statement released by the Turin Public Prosecutor's Office read: “Since this afternoon, on the orders of this Public Prosecutor's Office, soldiers of the Guardia di Finanza have been carrying out local searches at the Turin and Milan offices of Juventus Football Club Spa.
“The financiers of the Turin Economic-Financial Police Unit, delegated to the investigations, were instructed to find documentation and other useful elements relating to the company financial statements approved in the years from 2019 to 2021, with reference to both the purchase and sale of rights to the sports performance of the players, and the regular formation of financial statements.
“At present, the activities are aimed at ascertaining the crime of false communications from listed companies and issuing invoices for non-existent transactions, towards the top management and the managers of the business, financial and sports management areas.
"Under consideration there are various transfer operations of professional players and the services rendered by some agents involved in the relative intermediaries.”
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, 42 transfers - including deals involving Miralem Pjanic, Arthur, Danilo and Joao Cancelo - are under the microscope.
Juventus' response
Juventus have released an official statement confirming that they will cooperate fully with prosecutors as the investigation continues.
"Juventus Football Club S.p.A. acknowledges that the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of Turin has started investigations against the Company and some of its current officers," the statement reads.
"The Company is cooperating with the investigators and with CONSOB and trusts that it will 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.
"In connection with the capital increase, which was resolved upon by the Shareholders’ meeting on October 29, 2021, the Company hereby confirms the timing disclosed in the press release dated November 22, 2021 and, accordingly, that the period for the exercise of pre-emptive rights and trading of such rights will commence on November 29, 2021."
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