Finance expert claims Spurs will be ‘relieved’ after key man avoided suspension

Football finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley has claimed that Tottenham would have been delighted to see Fabio Paratici being cleared from accusations of capital gains fraud.

Italy’s Federal Court cleared Paratici last week following an accounting investigation dating back to his time at Juventus.

The trial revolved around alleged inflated transfer fees and capital gains involving 11 different clubs in the top three flights of Italian football.

Paratici, along with Juve president Andrea Agnelli and Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentiis, were among the 59 individuals under investigation, with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the FIGC calling for a suspension of 16 months and 10 days for all of the figures involved (Gianluca Di Marzio).

However, the Italian Football Federation said on Friday (as relayed by Reuters) that all 11 clubs and the 59 individuals have now been cleared following an investigation.

Plumley claimed that it would have been a PR disaster for the North London club had Paratici been found guilty.

He told Football Insider about the decision: “It will be a relief, I’m sure. It might be a minor thing in the grand scheme of things but it is one less thing to worry about nonetheless.

“We know clubs generate an awful lot of PR and are in the spotlight 24/7. That is just the nature of the modern football club, especially at the high end.

“Any negative PR that you can dodge is always a good thing and I’m sure Spurs will be delighted that has transpired.”

Spurs Web Opinion

More than being a PR disaster, Paratici being suspended would have come as a major setback to Tottenham’s rebuild, given that the Italian is spearheading it.

However, I suspect there was never really any danger of Paratici being found guilty as Spurs would have likely done due diligence on the matter before appointing him as the managing director of football last summer.

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