Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Leeds Live
Leeds Live
Sport
Matty Hewitt

Juventus facing serious financial allegations with Leeds United star caught up in mess

Leeds United loanee Weston McKennie may have to testify in court as part of the ongoing investigation into Juventus' financial scandal, according to reports in Italy. The Serie A club were docked 15 points for false accounting following an appeal hearing at the Italian football federation earlier this year.

The Old Lady are accused of deliberately inflating player valuations during transfers in order to boost “capital gains” and comply with UEFA's financial regulations. The entire Juventus board stepped down from their positions in November and have denied any wrongdoing.

Former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli was given a two year ban from football activities while long bans were also handed out for other members of the previous board. Juve’s former sports director Fabio Paratici, was banned from football in Italy but has now been forced to step down as managing director of football at Tottenham, with FIFA extending his ban to the UK.

READ MORE: Patrick Vieira linked with Premier League return at Leeds United after Crystal Palace sack

Tottenham are “urgently seeking further clarification from FIFA” but the Italian will have to step away from his job. Corriere dello Sport claims players who represented the Italian club during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons could also be dragged into the proceedings.

Paulo Dybala, Wojciech Szczęsny, Arthur Melo and Whites loanee McKennie are listed in the report of players who could face court proceedings if they are thought to have been aware of the alleged illegal accounting operation at the club. The US international could face a month long ban from the sport, but the report claims the chances of that happening are remote and there is no evidence to suggest McKennie knew of any wrongdoing.

In fact, there is no suggestion that any of the aforementioned players are complicit in any way, but their arrivals at Juventus are under investigation. McKennie joined Juventus in August 2020 on a season-long loan with the move made a permanent one the following season.

The Whites are believed to have an option to buy the United States midfielder at the end of the season, with his long term future up in the air.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.