Paratici: I don’t think I did anything wrong at Juventus, I accepted the plea deal because I didn’t want to affect my work

Paratici said in an interview with Sky Sports that he did nothing wrong during his tenure at Juventus.

Paratici once served as Juventus' sports director. In 2021, Juventus was suspected of financial fraud. In April 2023, the Italian Sports Court announced that the Juventus club deliberately increased player transfer fees to increase capital gains and was found to have committed financial fraud. Paratici was considered the mastermind behind the incident and was banned from engaging in football-related activities for 30 months. Paratici's suspension ended in October this year and he returned to work at Tottenham.

Paratici first said: "Considering my personality, when I face this situation, I feel ashamed that I need to defend myself. Because I only defend myself when I do something wrong, and deep down, I always think that I Nothing was done wrong. It's a very long process and you have to deal with situations that you never thought you'd have to face, and at the end of it you almost feel like it makes you grow as a person."

Paratici doesn't think the authorities can accurately assess a situation. "No one has ever explained that the Juventus club and all relevant personnel, including me, were not punished because the player's valuation was artificially distorted, but because of an accounting principle that has never been used in the past and will no longer be used in the future." There are dozens of criteria that can change a player's valuation, otherwise we wouldn't be talking about so-called signing opportunities."

Although Paratici did not believe that he was at fault, he eventually reached a plea deal with the prosecution when the case entered the civil trial process. Paratici explained: "Accepting the plea bargain is a responsible decision because this matter has been dragged on for four and a half years. The sports ban has ended and the civil trial is only in its early stages. We don't know when and how this matter will end. It may take several years to know. This will damage your career prospects, so you can only decide to accept the plea bargain and end the matter."

Paratici was very close to becoming Milan director at the end of last season, but in the end the two parties failed to sign. Paratici said: "I will not ask myself why I did not succeed in reaching an agreement. Now I have returned to Tottenham because I feel like home here. They never judged me, but provided support and help. They never doubted me."

Finally, Paratici also said The difference between the Premier League and Serie A, "The way of working is completely different. The Premier League is a global brand comparable to the NBA, with audiences all over the world, so we in Italy can also learn from all aspects. The most important thing Italy needs to do is to improve the infrastructure, because the stadium and training ground are the foundation."