Juventus face €60m fine after Ronaldo payment

FT Desk

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo's former employers Juventus face a fine of up to €60 million over alleged secret payments to the Portuguese and some of his teammates at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ronaldo spent three years at Juventus after joining from Real Madrid for €100m in 2018, and was earning around €65m a season through salary and bonuses when the pandemic hit.

He agreed to forego €4.3m of his earnings while a bigger €20m hit was discussed, but now documents outlining a secret payment of €19.8m to the player have been unearthed by Italian investigators.

READ: Ronaldo dragged into Juventus capital gains investigation

The Serie A giants are now under investigation from the Turin Public Prosecutor's Office for falsifying accounts, and could receive a penalty of up to €60m if they are found guilty.

Ronaldo, now back at Manchester United, has been asked to testify but has thus far resisted any attempts to question him. Juventus claim there is no case to answer for.

What have Juventus said?

After outlining the problems faced by all clubs facing empty stadiums during the pandemic, Juve's statement went as follows:

READ: Juventus wages: How much does each player earn?

"As for the general objection of having falsified the financial statements and having made improper communications to the market, Juventus and its representatives believe that they have been operated in compliance with the laws and relevant technical accounting principles.

"Moreover, during the years of interest, Juventus has distinguished itself for having initiated, in full transparency and in full compliance with the regulations, two different capital increases. These transactions have solidified Juventus as a powerhouse in the landscape of Italian football."

Despite that proclamation, this summer was the first transfer window since the pandemic started in which Juventus have made a profit.

The €77m sale of Matthijs de Ligt to Bayern Munich made them the most money, while their biggest outlay was the €50m deal to make Federico Chiesa's loan from Fiorentina permanent.

The Old Lady took significant hit on Ronaldo last summer, the 37-year-old returning to Man Utd for just €15m.