Fabio Paratici agrees to STEP DOWN from his role as Tottenham’s sporting director

Fabio Paratici has stepped down from his role as managing director at Tottenham following FIFA’s decision to extend his football ban globally. 

The Italian has agreed to take a leave of absence effective immediately, according to a statement from the Premier League club. 

The decision comes after a mutual agreement with Spurs, with a decision on the 50-year-old’s appeal still pending. 

The announcement came on Friday, with Sportsmail revealing that Paratici had flown back to England amid the growing uncertainty surrounding his future on Thursday. 

A club statement read: ‘This week – 29 March 2023 – the FIFA disciplinary committee announced a decision to extend the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) sanctions, relating to Fabio Paratici, worldwide.

Fabio Paratici has stepped down from his role as managing director at Tottenham Hotspur

Now without a manging director as well, Daniel Levy had already been on the hunt for a new manager after Antonio Conte’s departure 

‘This decision was taken in advance of Fabio Paratici’s appeal hearing against the FIGC sanctions on 19 April 2023, the result of which would then have been considered by additional stakeholders, including the club.

‘Given FIFA’s unexpected ruling the sanctions may now have multi-jurisdictional effect, although they are still related to the FIGC appeal.

‘In view of FIFA’s decision, Fabio has agreed with the club that he will take an immediate leave of absence pending the outcome of his appeal.’

According to The Athletic, the former managing director met with players to explain the situation, with the announcement being made by Tottenham in the evening.  

It comes at the end of an eventful week in north London, after former boss Antonio Conte left the club on Sunday, in the wake of his explosive press-conference following the club’s 3-3 draw with Southampton. 

Paratici has seen his 30-month ban in Italy extended to be worldwide by FIFA as of Wednesday

As a result of his worldwide ban he now faces a two-and-a-half years spell outside of the game 

Paratici had initially been handed a 30-month ban by the Italian FA in January earlier this year, with the 50-year-old one of numerous current and former Juventus executives punished for false accounting.

A total of 11 former executives at Italian giants Juventus – Paratici being one of them – were banned from Italian football after the Italian FA used new evidence gathered in the Prisma investigation, to reopen a case it lost in 2022.

All 11 executives denied any wrongdoing, with an appeal set to be heard by the Italian Olympic Committee in April.  

Until Wednesday, the ban was only thought to apply to Italian football, however FIFA then decided to extend the ban to all football worldwide, creating complications given his position at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

Juventus’s board all resigned as one last year before they were handed bans ranging from eight months to two-and-a-half years

A FIFA statement read: ‘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.’  

Tottenham say they were not notified ahead of FIFA’s announcement on Wednesday morning. 

Paratici’s 30-month ban stretches across all football-related activities, administrative, sports or any other, at national and international level – but Spurs want clarity over those sanctions. 

As he has been known to do, Paratici returned home to Italy during the international break, with his return coinciding with the previously planned start of criminal proceedings linked to the Juventus case, although that has since been postponed until May 10.