The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has ordered Juventus to pay its former player, Cristiano Ronaldo, more than €9.7 million, the money that they owed the player during Covid-19.
The Portuguese international played for Juventus between 2018 and 2021 with the back payment related to his agreement with the Serie A club to defer part of his wages during the Covid pandemic. According to reports, the 39-year-old agreed to defer some of his wages but he was not paid the agreed money that owed to him.
Some Juventus players agreed to defer four months’ worth of their salaries in March 2020 and April 2021, following the club's financial struggle during the pandemic year. Ronaldo’s initial request was for a back payment of €19.5m, but the FIGC arbitration on the matter acknowledged contributory negligence between the parties and ruled upon the amount of €9,774,166.66, plus late payment interest and legal costs.
Juventus responded in a statement that they released on its official website, they said that they will “review the decision made by the (FIGC) arbitration board” and noted that the decision recognised “the absence of fraud” by the club, whose conduct “did not affect” Ronaldo’s willingness to “enter into such a compensation reduction agreement.”
The Italian club also confirmed that they had been ordered to make the €9.7m payment due to their “pre-contractual liability” resulting from the “failure of negotiations” with the player. He joined the Serie A club from Real Madrid in 2018 and scored 101 goals across 134 appearances for the club, with whom he won five domestic trophies including Serie A titles in 2019 and 2020.
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He currently plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, he left Juventus to rejoin Manchester United in August 2021.
