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Tottenham Hotspur have announced that Fabio Paratici will return to his role of sporting director two-and-a-half years after he was banned by Fifa.
BBC Sport reported in May that talks were under way about a possible comeback for the 53-year-old.
Paratici will hold the position of joint-sporting director with Johan Lange and oversee Spurs' men's football strategy including performance development, scouting and recruitment.
He resigned from the role in April 2023 after his appeal against a 30-month Fifa ban for financial irregularities was rejected by Italy's highest sports court.
The Italian was banned after Juventus, where he was sporting director and managing director before joining Tottenham in 2021, were found guilty of false accounting and deducted 10 points in Serie A.
Last month a judge in Rome accepted a plea bargain request by Paratici and other former Juventus executives, meaning he will not have to serve a 18-month prison sentence.
Plea deals in Italy do not involve an admission of guilt or any acceptance of liability.
"I'm delighted to be returning to a club that I love," said Paratici.
"I have been working with Johan, Vinai [Venkatesham] and Thomas [Frank] as a consultant for a number of months and I now look forward to returning to London and joining the team full-time.
"I'm convinced that working in partnership with Johan we can build a special future for the club and our supporters."
Tottenham will complete their new leadership structure by recruiting a director of football operations to work alongside Paratici and Lange.
Until then, the club's women's team will remain under the direct control of Venkatesham.
One of the biggest unkept secrets in English football is finally out: Fabio Paratici's official return to Tottenham has been confirmed.
Of course, since severing ties with Spurs because of his suspension, the Italian - renowned as one of Europe's leading sporting directors - has been working on a consultancy basis for the club.
BBC Sport has reported regularly over the year that the wheels were in motion towards Paratici returning to the club on an official basis in 2025, though there was a dalliance with AC Milan in the summer.
Given his links to Daniel Levy, the Italian's return looked unclear when the former executive chairman left Spurs last month.
So it is testament to Paratici's reputation that the club's new look ownership team have retained their commitment to re-employing the administrator.
The attraction to Paratici is clear: one of the most extensive contacts book in the game – who he doesn't know probably isn't worth knowing.
It will be interesting to see how he works with Lange, but either way, Paratici's know-how and understanding in the transfer market will continue to be invaluable for Tottenham.
