Former Juventus Chief Andrea Agnelli Given Suspended Sentence for Financial Misconduct

Former Juventus director Andrea Agnelli, along with former VP Pavel Nedved and ex-sporting director Fabio Paratici, received suspended prison sentences due to a plea bargain agreement linked to financial irregularities occurring between 2019 and 2021.

Agnelli was specifically sentenced to one year and eight months for charges involving fraud and market manipulation. These allegations were related to artificially inflating capital gains from transfers and providing deceptive information about players opting to waive wages amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Former vice-president Pavel Nedved was sentenced to one year and two months, while ex-sporting director Fabio Paratici received a punishment of one year and six months. On the other hand, former CEO Maurizio Arrivabene was acquitted of all charges.

Agnelli stressed that agreeing to a plea bargain did not amount to an admission of guilt, a sentiment that Juventus also shared. The club was fined 157,000 euros. Agnelli expressed, “The decision to seek a suspended sentence was undoubtedly a challenging one. After careful consideration, I believe it is the most suitable course of action, especially since this legal process, which began almost four years ago, is still at the preliminary hearing stage. The alternative would have meant an indefinite state of limbo lasting for many more years.”

These legal outcomes mark the resolution of the legal issues arising from a scandal that deeply impacted Italian football’s most prominent club, resulting in a 10-point deduction during the 2022-23 season. Subsequently, Agnelli resigned as the chairman of Juventus, along with the rest of the board, towards the end of 2022. He was subsequently subject to two bans from the Italian Football Federation in the following year—an initial ban for two years and another for 16 months.