Paratici forced to step away from Tottenham job as FIFA extend ban to leave Spurs search in chaos
Tottenham will have to look for someone else to lead their search for a new manager after FIFA extended Fabio Paratici’s ban to cover the world.
Juventus were found guilty of false accounting and docked 15 points in January after a resolution came to a long-running investigation into their financial affairs.
Paratici and other former and current senior executives – including owner Andrea Agnelli and Pavel Nedved – received bans from Italian football.
The Tottenham managing director of football had been given a 30-month ban just relating to Italian football but FIFA have now confirmed that will apply worldwide.
A 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 chairman Daniel Levy and the rest of the Spurs board made the decision to sack Antonio Conte last week after he labelled his players “selfish” and made a dig at the hierarchy.
And Paratici was understood to be leading the search for the best candidate to take over the reins from Conte in the long term after Cristian Stellini was put in charge until the end of the season.
Only last night Tottenham published a long interview with Paratici and Spurs are yet to comment on FIFA’s ruling.
Paratici urged his the Tottenham players to remain focussed on their game and ignore any speculation about potential new managers.
He told the club’s website: “We have to be, everyone, focussed on the last part of the season.
“We do not speak about other coaches or follow the speculation in the media because it is just speculation.
“We are focused. We are now concentrating on helping Cristian and helping the staff, Ryan, the players.”
On Conte’s dismissal, Paratici added: “We know how difficult this season was for him personally. Gian Piero (Ventrone) and (Gianluca) Vialli died and then his surgery.
“The club supported him a lot with it and everyone is close to each other but then we arrived in this mutual agreement, and I think the decision that we made was the right decision for everyone.
“Cristian managed the team when Antonio was sick this season and was good. Ryan Mason can help him a lot. He knows everything about this club and group of players.
“We are really, really, really confident that these two people can do a very, very good job.”
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