Fabio Paratici insists he ‘did nothing wrong’ in Juventus scandal that forced Tottenham exit

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Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici has opened up on his ordeal through the Juventus capital gains scandal and has pleaded his innocence.

Two and a half years after being forced to resign from his role as managing director of Tottenham, Paratici is now officially back as Spurs sporting director.

The Italian will be working together with Johan Lange in that role, and according to reports, Paratici has already started working on January transfer targets for Tottenham.

The 53-year-old served as a consultant for Spurs in the two and a half years that he was banned by FIFA after his alleged involvement in the Juventus capital gains scandal.

Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici opens up on his feelings about the FIFA ban

For the first time, Paratici has opened up on the accounting scandal and the toll that it took on him.

He explained that he felt ashamed to even defend himself due to the risk of appearing guilty, insisting that the issue had to do with an accounting principle that had never been used before or since.

When asked about his involvement in the scandal and his ban, Paratici told Sky Sport Italia: “Considering my personality, when I faced this situation, I felt ashamed to defend myself. Because you only defend yourself when you have done something wrong, and inside myself, I always felt that I did nothing wrong.

“It was a very long process; you have to deal with situations that you never thought you’d face. At the end of it all, you feel almost as if it improved you as a person.

“Nobody ever explained that Juventus and all the people involved, including me, were not condemned for the ‘artificial’ or distorted valuation of players, but for an accounting principle that had never been used before, or since. There are dozens of criteria to change the valuation of a player; otherwise, we wouldn’t talk about opportunities.”

Paratici reveals why he accepted a plea bargain

Paratici recently accepted a plea bargain deal from the Italian authorities, which included an 18-month suspended jail sentence for his alleged part in the scandal.

Paratici’s suspended jail sentence allows him to work without a legal case lingering over him, with the former Juventus director not making any admission of guilt.

The 53-year-old has now explained that he accepted the deal in order to continue his career in football.

He added: “Accepting a plea bargain was the responsible decision, because this situation dragged on for four and a half years, the sporting ban had already expired, and the civil trial was only in the preliminary stage.

“We wouldn’t have known for years how or when it would conclude. That damages your career possibilities, so you decide to be responsible, accept the plea bargain, and it ends there.”