Prosecutor Resigns, Details Of “Secret” Cristiano Ronaldo Documents Revealed
There have been two major developments in the Prisma investigation into Juventus over the past week, with the resignation of the chief prosecutor and details of an alleged pact between the club and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The case revolves around an investigation into inflated player transfer fees previously reported in this column, in which authorities investigated a number of player transfers with the belief that the club was registering unrealistic figures as a plusvalenza.
Technically, that’s the Italian word for “capital gains,” an accounting term for the gain on the sale of an asset such as a stock, bond, or property, typically used to calculate the difference between the (higher) sale price and the (lower) sale price describe. Cost price of a specific asset.
“I hate Juventus”
A video of the Turin public prosecutor’s office investigating the case appeared in February. Recorded in 2019, it features Ciro Santoriello admitting he’s “a super fan of Napoli” who “hates Juventus”.
Remarkably, the video comes from an interview with Santoriello, which explained why he dismissed a separate case against Juventus and their former president Andrea Agnelli in 2015/16.
According to ANSA news agency, the club had not included any amount in the charges and risks section of its balance sheet, but the prosecutor found no wrongdoing and dropped the case.
In a bid to show he wasn’t biased towards Juve, Santoriello admitted to being a Napoli fan but unequivocally admitted he ‘hated’ the Bianconeri and caused an uproar from which he never recovered .
As a result, several reports in Italy (including this one by the Corriere dello Sport) insist that Santoriello has officially decided to step down from his role in the case. That means two other judges – including assistant prosecutor Marco Gianoglio – will replace him.
“Secret” pact with Cristiano Ronaldo
Meanwhile, evidence of an agreement between Juve and Cristiano Ronaldo has surfaced thanks to a WhatsApp conversation between several former club directors.
It has been claimed that the Bianconeri have agreed to pay players “off the books” during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite reporting in their accounts that the squad had agreed not to be paid.
This included over 19,500,000 euros ($21 million) in salaries owed by Ronaldo for the 2020/21 season, with Torino prosecutors saying the club privately agreed to pay him the full amount, although he had announced his decision to freeze wages for a few months.
Now website CalcioMercato has published a report of a WhatsApp conversation between directors allegedly discovered by the Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s financial police.
In it, they discussed Ronaldo’s situation with a message from club secretary Paolo Morganti dated April 23, 2021, which said: “Second salary move, Cristiano has signed. He has a copy of all documents.”
Sporting director Federico Cherubini replied: “Good!” Previously, Cesare Gabasio – Juve’s head of legal – wrote in the interview: “The first one who is willing to sign is Cristiano.”
The appeal continues
The Italian FA imposed a 15-point penalty on Juve in January, independent of the wiretaps and documents collected by the Turin prosecutor. The appointment hearing is scheduled to take place on April 19.
Gianluca Ferrero, President of Juventus
Getty Images
At an event this week, new club president Gianluca Ferrero insists they will continue to fight on all fronts these various issues that led to the resignation of his predecessor Andrea Agnelli and the entire board.
“Juventus will defend themselves with all our strengths in competent stadiums, I was and will remain a Juventus fan,” said Ferrero per CalcioMercato. “What we said at the meeting with the team stands. The club will play their part in the courtrooms and the players, as they do, will be asked to respond on the pitch.”
The old lady is currently seventh in Serie A, seven points behind the Champions League places and has reached the quarter-finals of the UEFAEFA Europa League.