In the next few days, the Juventus lawyers will attend a court hearing in relation to the so-called “Prisma” investigation.
The case revolves around alleged capital gains registered by clubs by using inflated transfer fees. In the past few months, the office of the federal prosecutor has launched a major investigation in order to identify the suspicious transfer dealings.
The prosecution claims that the clubs involved in the investigation have registered highly exaggerated figures as transfer fees. Instead, the investigators have offered alternative figures (based on age, role, number of appearances and other factors) to determine the players’ realistic values.
For their part, Juventus directors have emerged as the stars of the investigation. Club president Andrea Agnelli is among the several top officials who are facing temporary bans (12 months in his case).
The list also includes vice-president Pavel Nedved, CEO Maurizio Arrivabene, sporting director Federico Cherubini and his predecessor Fabio Paratici.
As for the club itself, the prosecutor asked for a fine worth 800,000 euros. So how does the Bianconeri aim to defend themselves against these accusations?
According to la Gazzetta dello Sport via Calciomercato , Juventus will resort to a simple counterclaim based on the free market.
The club’s lawyers will explain that it’s impossible to measure a young player’s real value just based on number of appearances, because youngsters have large margins for growth.
Therefore, the defendants believe that the agreements found between the two parties must be respected, and that the prosecutor’s claims remain unfounded.
