ROME; A judge in Rome has accepted a plea bargain request by former Juventus executives, including ex-chairman Andrea Agnelli, to settle a false accounting case relating to their time running the club.

Rome court judge Anna Maria Gavoni accepted a plea bargain of one year and eight months for Agnelli, and one year and two months for ex-vice chairman and Ballon d’Or winner Pavel Nedved.

The agreed prison sentences have been suspended and will not be served. Under Italian law, such plea bargaining does not involve an admission of guilt.

The judge also imposed a fine of €156,000 on Juventus.

For one of the defendants, former CEO Maurizio Arrivabene, the case was ultimately dismissed.

The club said in a statement that it had opted for the plea bargain “in the best interest of the company itself, its shareholders and all stakeholders”.

Juventus also reiterated “the correctness of its conduct and the soundness of its defensive arguments”.

The case revolved around allegations that Juventus misrepresented its financial statements, particularly in relation to player transfers and salary arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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