Fabio Paratici risks a hefty sanction if the Juventus sporting director is proven to have tapped up Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella, an Italian sports lawyer explained today.
In the days following Inter’s bad-tempered Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against the Bianconeri on Tuesday, a number of reports have suggested Paratici has made contact with Barella recently to try and convince him to leave Inter and join Juventus.
Answering a letter sent in regarding the issue in question, Jean-Christophe Cataliotti clarified the rules surrounding contacting players and outlined the punishment that Paratici could face.
“In general terms, players under contract cannot be contacted by other clubs,” Cataliotti explained in an article for CalcioMercato.com.
“What is the law that covers this? It is article 95 in the Italian Football Federation’s (FIGC) rules governing the relationship between players and clubs (NOIF).
“NOIF states that contracts and or negotiations, whether direct or through third parties, registered or not, between clubs and players, are prohibited unless there is prior written authorisation from the club with which the player is under contract.
“What is the risk for a director who violates this rule? They risk facing a one-year period of inhibition as per article 14 of the FIGC’s sports justice code!”
Paratici would be allowed to keep his position as Juve’s sporting director if he were inhibited, but he would be severely limited in what he could do.
While not quite an outright ban, he would effectively be prevented from carrying out his job in any official setting.
Andrea Agnelli has already received such a sanction, back in 2017 after he was found to have helped sell tickets at the Allianz Stadium to Juve supporters with links to organised crime groups.