ITALY: Four of Italy's most famous football clubs and 30 unnamed people, believed to include club directors, football federation officials and referees, have been indicted for "sports fraud", the Italian Football Federation special commissioner, Guido Rossi, confirmed yesterday.
The clubs - Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina - and the officials will stand trial in a unique federation disciplinary hearing or trial which is due to start next week.
At the heart of the investigation is the allegation that a group of people, including former Juventus director general Luciano Moggi, referees and federation officials contrived to systematically "fix" matches during the 2004-2005 season.
The prosecution case is expected to rely heavily on wire tap transcripts, originally ordered by magistrates in Naples investigating the Camorra, the Neapolitan Mafia. If found guilty, the clubs and officials could face serious sanctions.
Juventus, Italy's most famous and successful team, and one of the clubs most at risk from the investigation, could be relegated to the second or third division and stripped of its 2005 league title.
Analysts estimate that could cost Juventus up to €180 million in lost revenue from sponsorship contracts, TV rights deals and Champions League football. Officials and referees found guilty could be given life bans.
For the time being, it is only clubs and officials who are in the dock, allowing the Italian national team players to get on with the World Cup.
Asked about the scandal's impact on his team yesterday evening, Italy coach Marcello Lippi commented: "All you foreigners think my players do nothing other than think about what is going on back at home. But we're here to play and stay in the World Cup. This is the chance of a lifetime".
The Football Federation (FIGC) chose not to identify any of the individuals who will face a sports tribunal next week, but leaks to the press showed officials from all four clubs, top referees and the former head of FIGC itself would stand trial.
Juventus issued a statement saying Mr Moggi - the club's former general manager sometimes called "Lucky Luciano" who is at the centre of many of the allegations - and former chief executive Antonio Giraudo had been charged.
AC Milan said on its website that chief executive Adriano Galliani, who on yesterday resigned as head of Italy's soccer league, had not violated the principle of fairness, an implicit acknowledgement that he had been charged.
ANSA news agency issued a list of all 26 of the individuals charged, including former FIGC president Franco Carraro, Lazio president Claudio Lotito, and Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle.
All involved have denied any wrongdoing in Italy's biggest sports scandal in a quarter of a century. The trial will be held in Rome's Olympic Stadium and broadcast by closed-circuit television to journalists from the worlds media.
The FIGC statement was issued after Italy secured a place in the second round of the World Cup by beating the Czech Republic 2-0 - timed to avoid hitting morale in a game that could have seen the national side ousted from the tournament.
The scandal erupted last month when newspapers published intercepted telephone conversations between Mr Moggi and senior FIGC officials discussing refereeing appointments during the 2004-05 season. - (Additional reporting Reuters).