In the high-stakes world of professional football, where player valuations can swing wildly and transfer fees reach astronomical figures, the line between shrewd business and creative accounting sometimes becomes, shall we say, a little blurry. Such appears to be the case now engulfing Italian champions Napoli, with the spotlight firmly fixed on the 2020 transfer of star striker Victor Osimhen from French club Lille.
What initially seemed like a straightforward, albeit expensive, acquisition – a €70 million deal for a promising Nigerian talent – has morphed into a complex legal drama. Public prosecutors in Italy are now pushing for indictments against Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis and CEO Andrea Chiavelli on charges of false accounting. The evidence? A series of recently leaked private communications that offer a candid, and rather startling, glimpse into the inner workings of the deal.
The Anatomy of a €70 Million Deal
At the heart of the matter is the assertion that Napoli, eager to meet Lille`s hefty asking price for Osimhen, artificially inflated the value of four peripheral players. These players – goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis, and three young talents: Luigi Liguori, Claudio Manzi, and Ciro Palmieri – were nominally included in the deal, collectively valued at a staggering €20 million. The catch? According to reports, these players were swiftly loaned out to Italian Serie C and D clubs, with some never even setting foot on French soil. For a casual observer, one might wonder if “phantom players” is a rather fitting moniker.
This maneuver, prosecutors allege, served to “pump up” the transfer figures, not only for Napoli`s balance sheet but also to aid Lille, then under the presidency of Gerard Lopez, in their own financial predicaments. In the murky waters of football finance, where “plusvalenze” (capital gains) can be generated by such swaps, both clubs could potentially benefit from the inflated valuations.
“We`ll Have to Resort to Robbery”: The Intercepted Whispers
The most compelling, and frankly, eyebrow-raising, pieces of evidence come from intercepted chats among Napoli`s top brass. One exchange, dated July 17, 2020, captures the tense atmosphere during negotiations. Napoli CEO Andrea Chiavelli, discussing the initial drafts of the agreement with then-sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, reportedly quipped:
“Let`s hope they refuse… otherwise we`ll have to resort to robbery.”
A few minutes later, Giuntoli himself was messaging his deputy, Giuseppe Pompilio, expressing his frustrations and anxieties. He reportedly called De Laurentiis a “terrorist” for his demands, illustrating the immense pressure to conclude the deal, seemingly at any cost. Pompilio, ever the pragmatist, then advised Giuntoli:
“Don`t write anything. Don`t leave traces in emails. Say whatever you want verbally.”
This advice, intended to obscure, ironically became part of the very “traces” now under scrutiny. It`s a classic case of hoping for discretion while being inadvertently caught in the act – a subtle nod to the irony often found when modern communication meets old-school machinations.
Lille`s Doubts and Napoli`s Defense
It wasn`t just Napoli`s internal team that had misgivings. An email from Julien Mordacq, Lille`s administrative and legal director at the time, to CEO Marc Ingla, explicitly warned of the “risks associated with this deal” and that “every detail considered `strange` could generate questions about all these operations.” It seems even those on the other side of the negotiating table felt the ethical compass spinning.
Napoli`s legal team, however, remains steadfast. They dismiss the charges, stating that the intercepted phrases are “extrapolated from a much broader dialectical context” and do not indicate “an illicit design.” They argue this is simply the “normal dynamic of a negotiation related to the buying and selling of footballers, physiological in the sector and devoid of criminally relevant profiles.” Furthermore, they expressed “astonishment” at the media`s publication of what should have been confidential investigative documents, decrying it as a violation of privacy and defense rights. They also point out that the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) had already closed its sports investigation into the matter in 2022.
The Wider Implications for Football Finance
The Osimhen case, while specific to Napoli and Lille, shines a harsh light on the broader landscape of football finance. The practice of “plusvalenze” or capital gains through player exchanges, often involving youth or fringe players with subjective valuations, has been a contentious issue. Other prominent Italian clubs have faced similar accusations, highlighting a systemic vulnerability within the financial reporting structures of football.
While Napoli maintains that their actions were within the bounds of legitimate business, the ongoing judicial process will undoubtedly scrutinize the intent behind these transactions. Was it a desperate attempt to balance books, an ingenious workaround, or an outright deception? The preliminary hearing, set for November 6, will be a critical juncture, determining whether these “phantom players” lead to real legal consequences for some of the biggest names in Italian football.
The saga serves as a compelling reminder that in the exhilarating spectacle of professional football, the drama often extends far beyond the pitch, delving into the intricate, and at times perplexing, world of multi-million Euro transfers and the sometimes-fragile integrity of the sport`s financial dealings.
Wesley Dunham