Juventus agrees to fine but won’t appeal in plea bargain over salaries probe

ROME (AP) — Juventus will be fined 718,000 euros but will agree not to make any appeals as part of a plea bargain with the Italian soccer federation after the club and seven former team directors were charged with alleged fraud for the way they handled player salary cuts during the coronavirus pandemic. The only former team director who did not agree to the plea bargain was ex-Juventus president Andrea Agnelli. He’ll be judged June 15. Juventus said at the start of the pandemic that 23 players agreed to reduce their salary for four months to help the club through the crisis. But prosecutors claim the players gave up only one month’s salary. Juventus and the former team directors denied any wrongdoing.