According to an article from the Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport, Cristiano Ronaldo will file a lawsuit against Juventus for unpaid wages during his time playing for the team. The current Al-Nassr striker has reportedly already met with the Turin prosecutor's office about the incident and decided to take legal action against his previous team.
The unpaid wage stems from the time when Juventus, like all soccer clubs, had to deal with the challenges caused by the Covid-19 breakouts, which made it necessary for the clubs to play most of the 2020–21 season behind closed doors. When the first epidemic occurred in 2020, Juventus took action and reached an agreement with the players to postpone some payments. In 2021, the same thing occurred.
The team had to make cuts to expenses, which had an impact on stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now preparing to sue the team for failing to pay him more than $20 million during that time. Similar legal disputes involving other players on the Italian team included Paulo Dybala, who last year reached a settlement with his former team and received almost €3 million as a result.
The so-called "salary maneuvers" at Juventus were a key factor in the scandal that forced the previous board to resign last year. As a result, Juventus and the Italian sport justice bodies reached a settlement agreement at the end of May, whereby the Italian club agreed to pay a fine of €718,000 for the salary maneuvers case. In exchange, they decided not to appeal a 10-point loss from their score for a different capital gain issue. Juventus was also prohibited from participating in any European competitions for the 2023–24 season by UEFA, therefore even if they qualified despite the 10-point deduction, the Bianconeri will not compete in the UEFA Conference League this season.
With Paul Pogba's interim suspension for a failed doping test that revealed elevated levels of testosterone in his system, this upcoming suit is the latest in a long line of on-field issues for Juventus.