KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: Tottenham Hotspur were left looking foolish after being apparently blindsided by the prospect of losing managing director Fabio Paratici to a worldwide FIFA ban.

Days after the departure of manager Antonio Conte the Premier League club hit more confusion after FIFA’s decision to extend worldwide a 30-month Italian ban on Paratici imposed in January after his former club Juventus were found guilty of false accounting.

Paratici, 50, had been sporting director and managing director at Juve before joining Tottenham in June 2021.

Spurs said they were “urgently seeking further clarification from FIFA,” and that the decision had been taken “with no advance notice to any of the parties involved.”

Paratici and Juventus have both appealed against both the Italian and FIFA rulings.

Conte left Spurs on Sunday with the club fourth in the Premier League when Paratici told the club website that Tottenham were “focused” on finding a replacement.

A FIFA statement said: “FIFA can confirm that following a request by the Italian FA (FIGC), the chairperson of Fifa disciplinary committee has decided to extend the sanctions imposed by FIGC on several football officials to have worldwide effect.”

The club said: “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 the FIGC sanction was taken on 20 January 2023 and remains subject to an appeal.”

Juventus’ directors, including president Andrea Agnelli, quit in November after the launch of a police investigation into the club’s transfers business. Juventus were penalised 15 points by the FIGC in January.

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