Juve ordered to pay Ron RM50m in back wages

JUVENTUS must pay Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo €9.7million (RM50m) in back wages for the 202021 season, the Italian courts announced yesterday.

The Court of Arbitration, to which Ronaldo appealed, “orders Juventus Turin to pay the sum of €9,774,166.66”, plus interest and procedural costs, it stated in its decision.

The sum equates to the difference between the salary actually received by Ronaldo and that which he should have received after tax and other deductions.

Ronaldo, who spent three seasons in Italy with Juventus (2018-21) before joining Manchester United (2021-22) and then the Saudi club Al Nassr, was claiming €19.5m (RM100m) but the arbitration panel reduced that by 50%.

“The arbitration board… ascertained the validity of (Ronaldo‘s) compensation reduction agreement in relation to the 2020/21 sporting season,” Juventus said in a statement sent to Reuters.

The arbitration tribunal ruled Juve had to pay half of the sum requested by the 39-year-old Portugal striker.

“The Company, also with the support of its legal counsel, is reviewing the decision made by the arbitration board, reserving all assessments and initiatives to preserve its rights,” Juve said.

According to the rankings drawn up by the American business magazine Forbes, the five-time d’Or winner was the world’s highestpaid sportsman in 2023, with US$136m (RM650m), including US$46m (RM220m) in wages.

Juventus, who are listed on the stock exchange, recorded losses of €123.7m (RM631m) in the 2022-23 financial year, which ran to the end of June, it announced in October.

No provision has been made in the accounts of Italian football’s most successful club, currently third in Serie A, for the payment of this wages backlog. –

AFP/Reuters