March 29, (THEWILL) – Fabio Paratici, the director of football at Tottenham Hotspur, has been hit with a worldwide extension of his 30-month ban from all football-related activities by FIFA.
The Italian was initially penalised by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), following a guilty verdict against his former club, Juventus, for false accounting during his tenure there. Paratici, who worked at Juve for over a decade, left the club in 2021 to join the north London outfit.
FIFA has now decided to widen the scope of Paratici’s ban, after a request from FIGC, with a spokesperson for FIFA stating, “Fifa can confirm that following a request by the Italian FA (FIGC), the chairperson of Fifa disciplinary committee has decided to extend the sanctions imposed by FIGC on several football officials to have worldwide effect.”
However, Paratici and Juventus are appealing the sanctions, which come at a time when Tottenham is seeking a new manager after parting ways with Antonio Conte. Paratici had spoken to Tottenham’s media team just before the announcement, where he acknowledged the difficulties of Conte’s tenure and stated that his departure was the right decision. Speaking on the club’s manager search, Paratici was dismissive of media speculation, saying: “We do not speak about other coaches or follow the speculation in the media because it is just speculation.”
Now, with Paratici’s ban now extended globally, the club’s search for a new manager may become more challenging than anticipated.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
