Tottenham Hotspur has released a statement following the worldwide ban imposed on their director of football, Fabio Paratici. The ban was issued by FIFA after his former club, Juventus, was found guilty of false accounting in January. Initially, Paratici was banned from Italian football for 30 months, but FIFA has now extended the ban worldwide. Tottenham has expressed its concern over the decision and is seeking further clarification from FIFA regarding the details of the extension and its variance from the FIGC sanction. The club has also emphasized that neither Paratici nor the club had any indication of this decision being made by FIFA when he conducted an interview on club channels on Tuesday.
Paratici had been leading Tottenham’s search for a new manager to replace Antonio Conte, but he will now have to take a step back due to the ban. The Italian has denied the allegations against him and is among a number of Juventus chiefs who have been banned after a hearing at a federal court of appeal. The Serie A giants were docked 15 points as well. Paratici spent 11 years at Juventus from 2010 to 2021, including spells as head of technical affairs, sporting director, and managing director.
Currently, the terms of the ban mean that Paratici cannot directly negotiate transfers or talk to agents. However, he can work internally at Tottenham, such as attending club meetings. The ban leaves Tottenham in further crisis as they search for a new manager. Club chairman Daniel Levy has the final say on who the next manager will be, but Paratici would have offered guidance on who to appoint.
Conte’s right-hand man Cristian Stellini was named caretaker boss, with ex-Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason set to assist him. Julian Nagelsmann and former manager Mauricio Pochettino remain frontrunners to succeed Conte.
In conclusion, Tottenham Hotspur has expressed its concern over the worldwide ban imposed on their director of football, Fabio Paratici, and is seeking further clarification from FIFA regarding the details of the extension and its variance from the FIGC sanction. The ban leaves Tottenham in further crisis as they search for a new manager, and Paratici will have to take a step back from his role.