23 Juventus players including Cristiano Ronaldo may face suspension: Report

A few days after Serie A giants Juventus were given a massive 15-point penalty for false accounting, a sensational report has emerged. As per this report, 23 players, including five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, could face suspension.

Why could Cristiano Ronaldo & 22 others face suspension?

According to a report put out by Sports Bible, Juventus' punishment may not be just limited to the club but may also impact all the players that played for them at the time the false accounting incident took place. As per Italian journalist Paolo Ziliani, if the players are deemed to have accepted falsely lower wages, then they too could be hurt with a 30-day suspension even if they are no longer at the Turin outfit. This list could include as many as 30 players, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

Why was Juventus hit with a 15-point penalty?

Juventus was hit with a massive 15-point penalty on Friday for false accounting after an appeal hearing that took place at the Italian soccer federation. The punishment will significantly hamper the club’s chances of playing in Europe next season. Prior to the penalty, the Old Lady was third in Serie A and now the penalty has dropped the Bianconeri to a midtable position — 25 points behind leader Napoli and 12 points from the Champions League places.

Other than a points deduction, former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and former club CEO Maurizio Arrivabene were also each banned for two years from soccer activities, and more bans were handed out to nine other members of the club's staff or former board members.

The longest ban of 2 ½ years was handed out to former Juventus sporting director and current Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici, while current Juventus sporting director Federico Cherubini was given 16 months and former Juventus player turned board member Pavel Nedved was given eight months.

The bans prohibit those individuals from engaging in soccer activities in Italy, "with the request that the ban is extended to UEFA and FIFA activities." Juventus has denied wrongdoing and was initially cleared by the sports court in April. But an appeal was made after the federation collected papers from the Turin prosecutors.

At the start of the pandemic, Juventus said 23 players agreed to reduce their salaries for four months to help the club through the crisis. But prosecutors claim the players gave up only one month’s salary. Turin prosecutors have also apparently discovered more alleged secret payments to former player Cristiano Ronaldo that were not reported by Juventus. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March.

(Inputs from AP)