A questionable Imitation of Juventus shirts
Over 13,000 Juventus jerseys with the personalisation of Cristiano Ronaldo, CR7, on the back ended up at the centre of a legal debate. These jerseys were remarkably similar to the originals, with the same official Juventus graphics. The only difference? A seemingly insignificant detail on the front to distinguish them from the authentic ones, which was in fact an almost perfect replica.
The accusation against Hugo dos Santos Aveiro
Cristiano Ronaldo’s older brother, Hugo dos Santos Aveiro, is now the subject of a judicial investigation launched in 2019. The Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office closed the investigation and sent him to trial. Aveiro is accused of having defrauded the Turin company Pegaso, with which he had signed a contract on July 25 of the same year for a sports kit, then blocked for unfair competition and declared false.
Details of the hearing
The hearing is scheduled for 20 June. The main accusation is that Aveiro allegedly perpetrated the fraud in his capacity as legal representative of the company ‘Mussara Gestao de Espacos e Eventos Lda’, owner of the CR7Museum brand. The CR7Museum logo on the front of the jersey was not considered sufficient to distinguish the jerseys from the official versions produced by Adidas.
The value of the contract and the manufacturer’s error
Aveiro allegedly demanded EUR 650,000, of which EUR 630,000 was transferred even before the contract was signed, as stated in the summons. Prosecutors allege that the Turin-based manufacturer was ‘misled’ by producing 13,000 jerseys with the same distinctive graphics and logo as Ronaldo.
Consent not given and further deception
The Turin-based club allegedly received assurances from Aveiro that the production of the jerseys, allegedly approved by Juventus, was legitimate. Aveiro later allegedly asked Pegaso to develop new prototypes, citing Adidas’ concerns about the similarity to its own jerseys. While the new prototypes were being produced, Aveiro allegedly bought 13,162 pre-made jerseys at EUR 4.50 each, claiming that they would be destroyed, but were instead offered for sale on the Portuguese market. These jerseys were allegedly sold to the CR7 Museum in Madeira for EUR 40 each. The civil case continues with Pegaso, assisted by lawyer Roberto Capra.