Italian champions Juventus have confirmed Fabio Paratici has been informed regarding the right of defence in relation to the Italian citizenship test of Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez.
As outlined by Football Italia, the Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Perugia has opened criminal proceedings into the citizenship test undertaken by the player this summer Suarez, which was intended to gain Italian citizenship and avoid the non-EU rule.
Suarez underwent the test at the University of Perugia as Juventus had already filled all their slots for non-EU players and obtaining Italian citizenship would have enabled the club to navigate around that restriction.
The Uruguayan eventually joined Atleti instead of Juve, with the player’s exit dominating Barcelona news in the transfer window.
Statement from the Clubhttps://t.co/S8PBH5RDix pic.twitter.com/jMfOMOOs9h
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 4, 2020
The statement from the Bianconeri reads: “Juventus Football Club confirms that today Fabio Paratici has been notified of information regarding the guarantee and the right of defense. The crime alleged by the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Perugia is exclusively Article 371 bis of the Criminal Code.
“The Club strongly reiterates the correctness of Paratici’s work and is confident that the ongoing investigations will help clarify his position within a reasonable time.”
Perugia’s Prosecutor Office confirmed on Friday the suspension for eight months from the exercise of public offices for the Rector of the University Giuliana Grego, the University’s CEO Simone Olivieri and professors Stefania Spina and Lorenzo Rocca.
Suarez has been in fine form for Diego Simeone’s side in the early stages of the campaign – netting five goals in his opening six appearances for the team in La Liga.
The veteran striker has scored seven goals in his last nine matches for club and country, including in his most recent outing for Atleti – a 4-0 win over Cadiz.
Suarez has missed four matches for his club – La Liga victories over his former club Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, and the duo of Champions League draws against Lokomotiv Moscow and Bayern Munich.
