Posted by Juventus’ week only got worse after losing 4-0 to Chelsea. The thrashing in the Champions League on Tuesday was followed by another defeat at home to Atalanta on Saturday. In the meanwhile, police raided the club’s offices, seizing documents connected to player transactions and financial affairs.
The searches were part of a larger investigation, according to a statement from Turin prosecutor Anna Maria Loreto on Friday. She explained that the current focus was on determining whether Juventus, a publicly traded business, had sent out misleading investor communications and invoices for non-existent transactions. However, Loreto stated that other issues were being investigated as well, such as the services provided by agents and middlemen.
Juventus’ annual financial report, which contained a note noting that the Italian market regulator, Consob, had launched an investigation into the club’s revenue from player trading, predicted this weekend’s events in September. They and the public prosecutor acted in part based on information provided by Covisoc, an Italian Football Federation commission that monitors team finances.
For years, the use of innovative tactics by clubs to assure “plusvalenze” – capital gains – on the balance sheet has been a topic of discussion in Italy’s sporting press, with the value of players in part-exchange transactions frequently raising eyebrows.
source : Guardian sport