Cristiano Ronaldo may be dragged deeper into the ongoing off-field crisis at his former club, Juventus, as he faces a football ban.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr this winter, served a two-match ban for hitting an Everton fan while at Manchester United.
Earlier today reports in Italy claimed that the 37-year-old Portuguese football icon could be among the over 20 Juventus players who could face punishment for the club’s £79 million wage scandal.
Remember that Ronaldo was at Juventus from 2018 to 2021 before returning to Manchester United, where he only stayed for two seasons before leaving for Al Nassr.
Ronaldo was said to be one of over 20 players paid €90 million (£79.5 million) in deferred wages off book during his time at Juventus.
Former head coach Maurizio Sarri, captain Giorgio Chiellini, and Paulo Dybala are also included in records proving Ronaldo was owed £17.2m in salary after agreeing to a four-month deferral when the Covid-19 disrupted the 2019/20 season.
Miralem Pjanic, the Old Lady’s second highest-paid player, was owed £5.1 million, which was barely half of Ronaldo’s salary. According to records, Adrien Rabiot’s $5 million salary has been delayed, while Welsh player Aaron Ramsey is owed £4.2 million.
Prosecutors have been looking into the club’s files as part of their investigation into possible fraudulent bookkeeping involving transfers and other payments at the club, including salary.
Following allegations that valuations were artificially inflated in order to avoid Financial Fair Play regulations, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) launched an investigation into 62 separate player transactions between 2018 and 2020.
Following the failure of an appeal, it was announced on Friday that Juve would be docked 15 points from their Serie A standing after prosecutors discovered enough evidence to convict them of accounting violations. The club is currently requesting permission from the Italian Olympic Committee. The decision is expected to be made in March.
If it is determined that the players were willfully engaged in the crime in light of this most recent information, they could face additional 30-day punishments, which would only apply to Italian football.
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