Former Tottenham Hotspur director Fabio Paratici has returned to the club following the end of a 30-month ban from football activity.
The 53-year-old will act as joint-sporting director with Johan Lange, who has been promoted from the position of technical director.
In a statement, Spurs said the pair “will lead our men’s football strategy and drive an ambitious new chapter for the club”, and revealed they would also be appointing a new director of football operations to support Paratici and Lange in their new roles.
Paratici was one of 11 former Juventus executives banned from Italian football after being accused of financial malpractice, and this suspension was extended worldwide by FIFA in March 2023. The ban related to the inflation of transfer fees for accounting purposes during his time at Juventus.
Paratici was formerly Tottenham’s managing director of football, appointed in June 2021 by former executive chairman Daniel Levy.
He stepped back from his role at Spurs and officially resigned in April 2023 following the rejection of his appeal against his worldwide ban. The ban was partially reduced in April 2023 to enable him to work in football in a reduced capacity, and formally ended in the summer of 2025.
During his ban, he worked on a consultancy basis for Spurs, advising Levy and the club on transfers.
In a statement on Wednesday, Spurs said: “Johan and Fabio’s combined expertise will ensure that every decision, from player pathways and performance development to scouting and recruitment, is aligned and supports one overarching goal — to build a winning, world-class men’s team that endures.
“This partnership reflects a progressive approach to modern football operations — uniting two proven leaders with complementary experience, and a commitment to collaboration and innovation.”
The club’s CEO Vinai Venkatesham said: “This is an important evolution in how we operate. The remit of a sporting director today is vast, and by uniting two exceptional leaders in Johan and Fabio, we’re setting the foundations for sustained success.
“They are both outstanding football minds, with complementary expertise and strong track records. This structure reflects our ambition and our determination to compete at the very highest level to deliver for our supporters.
“Together, Fabio and Johan will lead with purpose — building not only a competitive men’s squad, but a connected football ecosystem where every detail contributes to our shared ambition: to make our club a benchmark for excellence in world football.”
Paratici said the role of sporting director had “change a lot” in the past decade and believes he and Lange will work well together.
“We need more people and specialists,” Paratici said in an interview with club channels. “We have a lot of departments to manage. We have a transfer window, players, agents. We need people and I’m very happy to work with this group of people and to join Johan. We know each other very well. We are complementary and we have different skills. I’m so Italian, I’m so passionate and maybe emotional and I’m sure I can be better close to him.”
The return of Paratici is the latest development in a year of change at Tottenham, which began when former Arsenal chief executive Venkatesham was appointed in April. The 44-year-old began his role in the summer, and will take responsibility for all operational matters on and off the field.
In June, head coach Ange Postecoglou was sacked after Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League, despite leading the club to victory in May’s Europa League final, their first trophy in 17 years. He was replaced by Thomas Frank, who joined the north London side after seven years with Brentford.
The same month, Tottenham announced that long-serving executive director Donna-Maria Cullen had stepped down from her position on the board and will leave the club.
In September, Levy was removed as Tottenham chairman after 24 years in charge of the club. A club statement said Levy had “stepped down” but the decision was taken by the club’s majority shareholders, the Lewis family. Peter Charrington stepped into the role of non-executive chairman.
After Paratici’s initial appointment, the club finished fourth in the Premier League under head coach Antonio Conte during his first season in the role.
He joined Spurs following 11 years as sporting director at Juventus, where he oversaw one of the most successful periods in the Italian club’s history, winning nine Serie A titles and reaching the Champions League final twice.
‘Paratici back to take centre stage’
Analysis from Tottenham correspondent Jay Harris
This has been one of the worst kept secrets in football. It has felt inevitable for some time that Paratici would eventually return to Spurs in an official capacity.
Paratici resigned from his role as the club’s managing director of football in April 2023 but after successfully appealing the scope of his ban from FIFA was allowed to act as a consultant. The Italian remained a close confidante of former executive chairman Daniel Levy and was heavily involved in their transfer business.
Paratici never tried to hide the fact he was still working with Spurs. He was frequently spotted at games and took photos with fans. He was sat nearby Johan Lange, who was technical director at the time, for the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain in August. Thomas Frank, who replaced Ange Postecoglou as head coach in June, spoke about having a “good relationship” with Paratici.
Lange oversaw huge changes to the scouting and data departments after he arrived from Aston Villa in November 2023 but Paratici’s contacts book is unrivalled. Sources at Spurs, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships, have previously spoken about how the pair’s skills neatly complement each other. Lange’s promotion to joint sporting director is recognition of some of the impressive deals he has led in the transfer market including the signing of Lucas Bergvall.
Paratici’s return addresses an issue which had been raised following Levy’s dramatic departure — who would be responsible for negotiating transfers? It looks like Paratici will now take centre stage with assistance from Lange and chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham.