The saga involving Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo takes on a new chapter following the club’s “Salary Maneuver” and the legal dispute with the Portuguese superstar. According to reports from Calciomercato, the Old Lady have decided to appeal the verdict (within the established limits) that mandates the payment of €9,774,166.66 to Ronaldo. Juventus remain convinced that they are not obligated to repay the €19.5 million to the former Manchester United winger, a sum discounted by 50% in court due to shared responsibility between the club and the player.
Due to civil procedural issues, the maximum limit for the appeal is still unclear. Opinions at this stage, post-Cartabia reform, vary and could take either thirty days or six months from the verdict. In the coming days, clarity will emerge regarding the technical timelines.
The previous verdict read as follows:
“The Arbitration Panel, in its definitive ruling, rejecting or absorbing all other issues, claims, and objections, including those brought forth by the parties, and recognizing the pre-contractual liability of the defendant for the reasons outlined in the narrative and, consequently, considering the contributory negligence of the plaintiff, orders Juventus F.C. S.p.A. to pay Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro the sum of €9,774,166.66, with revaluation from the due date and legal interest from the demand to the balance on the annually revalued amount; 2) fully offsets the defense costs between the parties, in addition to the costs of the Arbitration Panel already liquidated in the orders issued during the proceedings, and equally borne jointly, solely in internal relations, at a rate of 50% each. Thus decided by a majority vote, with the dissent of arbitrator Prof. Avv. Roberto Sacchi, in a personal conference of the arbitrators in Milan, on the dates of February 15, 2024, February 22, 2024, March 7, 2024, and April 10, 2024.”
Ronaldo alleged that he was owed almost €20 million by Juventus as part of alleged ‘salary maneuvers’ during the Covid lockdowns, which resulted in many players agreeing to take a pay-cut to help the club.
