Paratici: ‘I never felt I did anything wrong’ at Juventus, welcomed by Tottenham | OneFootball

Former Juventus chief and current Tottenham director of sport Fabio Paratici insists he ‘always felt I did nothing wrong’ in the capital gains scandal that saw the Old Lady docked 10 points.

The Italian worked for Juve from 2010 until May 2021, but in April 2023 a ruling from the Italian sporting justice system found that Juventus artificially inflated transfer fees in order to boost capital gains, making it look as if the club was moving much bigger assets around than they possessed in reality.

Paratici was considered the mastermind behind the scheme and handed a 30-month ban, which expired in October 2025.

At that stage, he was welcomed back as director of sport at Tottenham Hotspur, a role he had originally taken in July 2021.

Paratici defends his Juventus career

epa08429533 Juventus’ Chief Football Officer Fabio Paratici arrives to the club training ground in Turin, Italy, 18 May 2020. Several countries around the globe have started to ease COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in an effort to restart their economies and help people in their daily routines after the outbreak of COVID-19. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO

“Considering my personality, when I faced this situation, I felt ashamed to defend myself. Because you only defend yourself when you have done something wrong, and inside myself, I always felt that I did nothing wrong,” Paratici told Sky Sport Italia.

“It was a very long process, you have to deal with situations that you never thought you’d face. At the end of it all, you feel almost as if it improved you as a person.

“Nobody ever explained that Juventus and all the people involved, including me, were not condemned for the ‘artificial’ or distorted valuation of players, but for an accounting principle that had never been used before, or since.”

This investigation had already involved a total of 11 clubs (Juventus, Napoli, Genoa, Sampdoria, Empoli, Parma, Pisa, Pro Vercelli, Pescara, Novara and Chievo) in May 2022, when all of them and 61 directors were cleared.

It was because the authorities found it practically impossible to prove how much a player is worth on the transfer market.

MONZA, ITALY – JULY 31: (L-R) Maurizio Arrivabene, Pavel Nedved, Massimiliano Allegri and Federico Cherubini of Juventus FC before the AC Monza v Juventus FC – Trofeo Berlusconi at Stadio Brianteo on July 31, 2021 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

However, Juventus were investigated again when new evidence emerged from wiretaps and documents suggesting a systematic boosting of these fees.

“There are dozens of criteria to change the valuation of a player, otherwise we wouldn’t talk about opportunities,” reiterated Paratici.

So if he felt himself innocent, why accept a plea bargain in the civil trial into the Juventus finances?

“Accepting a plea bargain was the responsible decision, because this situation dragged on for four and a half years, the sporting ban had already expired and the civil trial was only in the preliminary stage. We wouldn’t have known for years how or when it would conclude.

“That damages your career possibilities, so you decide to be responsible, accept the plea bargain and it ends there.”

LEEDS, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 26: Tottenham Hotspur Director of Football, Fabio Paratici looks on during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on February 26, 2022 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Getty Images)

Paratici had been on the verge of accepting a role as AC Milan director of sport over the summer, but they failed to agree terms and instead turned to Igli Tare.

“I am not going to ask myself why that didn’t work out,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“I returned to Tottenham because they made me feel truly at home. They never judged me here, just showed support and help. There was never a moment when I felt they had doubts about me.”

He has noted some significant differences between working in Serie A and the Premier League.

“The approach is totally different, the institution itself is a global brand on a par with the NBA. It is watched all over the world, so there are a series of areas we can learn from in Italy. The biggest thing we need to do is improve the infrastructure, as stadiums and training grounds are fundamental.”