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The agent of Manchester United star Paul Pogba - Mino Raiola has been handed a three-month ban from ”football activities” by FIFA. Raiola had previously been banned on Wednesday by the Italian Football Federation, however, football’s governing body has decided to increase the ban to worldwide.
The 51-year-old said in a recent statement that his ban from the Italian Football Federation was ”not a surprise ” and has described his exclusion as ”political willing.” In a statement he posted on his Twitter account , Raiola said:
“This ‘Italian ban’ is not a surprise, unfortunately. My personal concern is that it has been a sentence dominated by a political willing, without taking into the right consideration the reason of law.”
“It is a sentence based on false grounds and lies. Law and justice however must prevail in any civil and correct system and I hope that my position will be remitted within the right lines in the coming steps of this story.”
“I guess the Italian Football Association has not forgiven me when I have diffused my critics for their role in the disastrous state of Italian football, as well as their role around the latest episode of the racism problem and my opinions could have had an influence in the evaluation of the matter.”
”I will seek justice against this injustice and for freedom of speech in every legal court possible to me as my main task is the interest of Italian football. I will proudly conduct this fight in order to obtain what it is in conformity with law. This discussion is contained to the Italian territory and has no repercussion on the players I represent.”
Of course, the reasons behind the ban still unknown remain unknown but FIFA has released some sort of statement on their website to explain what has actually happened, explaining that the ban has also been handed to his cousin Vincenzo. It reads:
“The Chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has today decided to extend the sanctions imposed by the Italian Football Association (FIGC) on the intermediaries Carmine and Vincenzo Raiola to have worldwide effect.”
“Carmine Raiola is suspended for a period of three months and Vincenzo Raiola for a period of two months. The decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee was notified today and takes immediate effect.”
It's hard to say what has actually going on but one thing that is for sure is that you won't be seeing any of his clients leaving their respective clubs this summer. That includes the forever linked with a move away from Old Trafford - Paul Pogba. There's no doubt it’s a significant boost to United as they look to strengthen this summer after a very disappointing season.
Pogba isn't Raiola’s only client of course as the Italian-Dutch agent represents many players in the footballing world which includes the likes of Pogba’s United teammate Romelu Lukaku, AC Milan’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Ajax’s starlet Matthijs de Ligt, all of whom have been linked with moves away from their respective clubs this summer.
This is sure to be something that not United fans alone will be keeping a keen eye on over the coming months, and it's also something that is far from its climax.