In the last year or so, it had been revealed that former Juventus youngster Manolo Portanova is facing serious charges related to an alleged gang rape with the victim being a minor at the time.
According to la Repubblica via ilBianconero, the court has convicted the 22-year-old and sentenced him to six years in prison.
However, this is only the first degree of justice, and the player’s legal team will certainly appeal the sentence.
Juventus fans would recall Portanova for his time with the first team during Andrea Pirlo’s short reign, back when he managed to collect a few starts.
The versatile midfielder started his career at Lazio before joining the Bianconeri in 2017. He made the switch to Genoa in January 2021 in the controversial exchange deal that saw Nicolò Rovella signing for the Old Lady.
This highly unpleasant situation leaves the Grifone with a great dilemma. The club had already been facing public outrage for allowing Portanova to play during trial.
So although he’s now been convicted, Genoa believe that they could eventually face trouble if they decide to ban him only for a higher degree court to pronounce him innocent.
Therefore, the source states that the player could still feature for the Serie B side until proven guilty once and for all.
