ROME, Dec 14 — The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has ended its investigation into a language exam taken by Uruguay striker Luis Suarez ahead of a potential move to Juventus last year.
A FIGC statement said that, pending the arrival of further documentation, the case will be dismissed as there was “not enough evidence to prove that there has been unlawful conduct relevant to the scope of the federal sports system”.
The investigation came after an alleged attempt to speed up efforts to get then-Barcelona striker Suarez Italian citizenship in September 2020.
The striker passed an exam at Perugia’s University for Foreigners as part of a fast-track naturalisation process Juve needed him to go through to avoid exceeding their permitted quota of non-EU players.
Suspicions of preferential treatment, such as agreeing questions in advance, were raised by Perugia chief prosecutor Raffaele Cantone, but Juve denied any wrongdoing. Suarez eventually joined La Liga side Atletico Madrid instead. — Reuters
