Juventus hasn’t achieved the heights that most of the club and fanbase would have expected this year. At the time of writing, the club is 11 points adrift of leaders AC Milan. But results on the pitch may become the least of the club’s worries over the remainder of the season. Juventus FC is now the subject of an accounting investigation that might uncover levels of corruption and fraud. However, the club is reported to be cooperating with the authorities on the case.
This is, of course, not the first time that Juve has been at the centre of a scandal and investigation. Around 15 years ago, the club was found guilty of influencing the choice of referees before games, match-fixing, and even getting other players suspended in the game before they faced Juventus. This scandal resulted in an automatic relegation to Serie B, which could be the case once again. And as the accounting scandal is said to have occurred over the last years, Juve may even be stripped of their most recent title.
With the investigation ongoing in the background and the repercussions of said investigation looming, betting on Juventus has become a grey area. So no one has been surprised to see bwin and other experienced football betting providers increasing the odds of the Italian giants winning Serie A next season or making it to the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo transfer under scrutiny
Italian prosecutors revealed that they were searching club offices to uncover accounting information. They also told reporters that they were looking into the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United in the summer. The star was sold for 23 million euros, inclusive of 8 million subject to an achievement bonus at his new club. When added to the Juventus books, it contributed to a club-record annual loss of 210 million euros.
Specifically, the prosecutors are looking into senior management and their behaviours surrounding player transfers. It is believed that some documents and invoices were created for transactions that have not taken place. The recovered documents relate to a series of transfers between 2019 and 2021.
The investigation was sparked after a phone was wiretapped and a conversation took place that alluded to how the club’s accounting was being skewed. It is believed that Juventus is experiencing financial issues due to the pandemic. The failed attempt of a Super League with other clubs from around Europe halted any potential to recover losses.
Document not found
Reuters reported this week that Lawyers representing Juventus FC say that the document mentioned within the tapped phone call has yet to be found, suggesting no further action will be taken until this document has been uncovered – if it will be uncovered at all.
As a result of the controversy, Juventus FC shares were down by 0.8% by the end of last week.
The post Juve cooperating with enforcement after accusations of accounting errors appeared first on Juvefc.com.