FILE - A mural depicting Juventus president Andrea Agnelli making a hole in a football with a knife, appeared in Rome, on April 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)
Ex-Juventus president Andrea Agnelli granted plea bargain that could lead to his soccer return
ROME (AP) — A plea bargain deal for former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli with a 20-month suspended sentence in a false accounting trial was granted by a judge Monday — possibly setting up Agnelli’s return to soccer after his sports ban expires next month.
FILE - A mural depicting Juventus president Andrea Agnelli making a hole in a football with a knife, appeared in Rome, on April 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)
ROME (AP) — A plea bargain deal for former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli with a 20-month suspended sentence in a false accounting trial was granted by a judge Monday — possibly setting up Agnelli’s return to soccer after his sports ban expires next month.
The trial, which began after prosecutors started investigating Juventus in 2021, contributed to Agnelli’s downfall at the record 36-time Serie A champion.
Former Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved was granted a deal of 14 months and former Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici got 18 months — with their sentences also suspended.
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Former Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene was cleared of wrongdoing by the court in Rome — where the trial was moved to after starting in Turin.
Juventus, which is listed on the Milan stock exchange, was fined 156,000 euros ($183,000) and also reached a settlement with about 75 investors who the club will pay slightly more than 1 million euros (about $1.2 million).
The case prompted Agnelli and Juventus’ entire board of directors to resign in 2022. Agnelli was then given two separate bans by sports authorities, the last of which expires in October.
Juventus was hit with a 10-point penalty in the 2022-23 season and then removed by UEFA from the Conference League for financial irregularities.
Juventus and its managers were investigated for cashing in on illegal commissions from transfers and loans of players and illicit handling of players’ salaries. The case also explored whether investors were misled with invoices being issued for non-existent transactions to demonstrate income that in turn could be deemed false accounting.
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