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By Martin Graham | 30th Mar 2023
Tottenham Hotspur are currently in a state of panic and have petitioned FIFA over their decision to make the ban imposed on the club’s sporting director, Fabio Paratici a worldwide ban.
Paratici, formerly of Juventus, was indicted in the Serie A club’s financial scandal which led to their sanctioning earlier in the season by the Italian football authority and by FIFA. Alongside others identified as key figures in the mess, Paratici was issued an indefinite ban from all football business activities.
FIFA’s elevation of the ban to worldwide status means that the Italian cannot partake in any transfer dealings worldwide for the duration of the ban, throwing all of the North London club’s transfer hopes into jeopardy.
They are currently without a manager and are in talks to sign a few players. Those deals are being spearheaded by the Italian sporting director, who joined the club in 2021 and was key to convincing both José Mourinho and Antonio Conte to sign for the club as managers.
This has thrown Spurs into a panic and they have petitioned FIFA over the issue. The club said in a statement released on Wednesday evening: “Following media reports today regarding the FIFA Disciplinary Committee decision to extend worldwide the sanction imposed by the FIGC Federal Court of Appeals on Fabio Paratici on 20 January 2023, the Club made urgent enquiries to FIFA.
“FIFA has, late this afternoon, responded to us in writing notifying us today, Wednesday 29 March 2023, that a decision has been made by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to extend the FIGC sanction worldwide.
“This committee deliberation has been taken with no advance notice to any of the parties involved. We are urgently seeking further clarification from FIFA as to the details of the extension and its variance from the FIGC sanction.
“We should like to make clear that when Fabio conducted the interview on Club channels yesterday neither he nor the Club had any indication of this decision being made by FIFA, based on the fact the FIGC sanction was taken on 20 January 2023 and remains subject to an Appeal on 19 April 2023. We shall update on this matter in due course.”
Paratici and the others involved in the incident have all appealed their bans, and a date in April has been set for a response to their appeal. In the meantime, Spurs have been left high and dry in the transfer market and manager scouting market in a time of uncertainty.
Martin Graham is an MFF sports writer
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