Another case in Italy? AS Roma sacked CEO Berardi, two other clubs linked to fraud

AS Rome has terminated its employment relationship with Pietro Berardi with immediate effect. The Italian football club is in the sights of the authorities for accounting fraud and overstatement of transfer sums. Two other clubs are involved in the case.

Italian football club AS Roma officially confirmed via its Twitter account on Monday evening that it has terminated its working relationship with CEO Pietro Berardi with immediate effect.

“AS Roma announces that the relevant corporate bodies have decided to terminate all relations between AS Roma and Mr Pietro Berardi with immediate effect. The club wishes Pietro all the best in his future endeavours,” the club said in a statement.

One reason for this may almost certainly be the fact that Berardi was one of seven former and current Roma directors who were investigated as part of a wider probe into clubs artificially inflating transfer sums to boost capital gains.

Italian website Football Italia reports that a proposal submitted by the Rome prosecutor’s office even claimed that some transfers were virtually non-existent and were created simply to avoid paying taxes.

Berardi has been at the club as CEO for two years, starting in October 2021. Prior to that, he was CEO of Pirelli in North America.

It should be noted, however, that it is not only AS Rome that is involved in this emerging case. Two other entities – Lazio Rome and Salernitana – have also been linked to the falsification of accounts or overstatement of transfer sums.

Italian media reports are now that the prosecutors in Rome and Tivoli are looking into the transfers of a total of 18 players at these clubs between 2017 and 2021.

Juventus Torino have previously been punished for falsifying accounts. The Italian giant was fined 15 points and its officials, including Pavel Nedved, were banned from football.

Football Italia, AS Roma