Tottenham face further uncertainty as Fabio Paratici’s ban extended worldwide

Tottenham’s managing director of football was serving the suspension in his homeland after former club Juventus were found guilty of false accounting

Carl Markham
Wednesday 29 March 2023 09:38 EDT
Comments
Antonio Conte departs Tottenham after 16 months in charge

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Tottenham Hotspur’s managing director of football Fabio Paratici will have to step away from his current role after Fifa extended an initial ban in Italy to have an effect worldwide.

Paratici was serving the suspension in his homeland after former club Juventus, where he was sporting director and latterly managing director, were found guilty of false accounting.

Having left the Serie A club in May 2021 he joined Spurs the following month and would have been involved in the search for a new manager following Antonio Conte’s departure last week.

However, Fifa’s extension of their ban – which was initially 30 months and applicable only to Italian football – means he will have to step aside.

“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,” said a statement from world football’s governing body.

Juventus have denied wrongdoing and they and Paratici have appealed the sanctions.

On Tuesday Tottenham published a lengthy interview with Paratici in which he said Conte’s departure was “the right decision for everyone” and the club was “focused” on supporting interim head coach Cristian Stellini as they try to secure a top-four finish.

Fans deserve to hear a clear statement of strategy from THFC so they can be reassured by the board on their plan to bring success and stability to the club.

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust

Fan group the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust on Wednesday afternoon called for clarity and reassurance from the club.

Responding to the Paratici ban, it tweeted: “This news adds further to the extremely concerning situation at the club. No manager, no director of football and uncertainty around our star player and our end of season finish.

“Fans deserve to hear a clear statement of strategy from THFC so they can be reassured by the board on their plan to bring success and stability to the club.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in