Napoli raided in latest Italian football scandal

Serie A club Napoli came under scrutiny Wednesday after the country’s Finance Police raided the club over suspicions of financial foul play, media reports said. According to the Italian ANSA news agency, police, who took away a number of documents from the club, were acting on a mandate from the public prosecutor in Naples. The raid was carried out by Italy’s Guardia di Finanza, a wing of the armed forces which deals with financial crime and smuggling and comes under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Reports said the documents seized are in relation to an investigation into players’ contracts, the club’s relationship with agents and any related financial movements. Napoli, whose president is former filmmaker Aurelio De Laurentiis, played down the search through their lawyer Mattia Grassani. “It’s a case of gathering information and obtaining documents, but nobody is being investigated and there are no accusations,” Grassani said. “Since the beginning of president De Laurentiis’ tenure the contracts at Napoli have been drawn up rigorously and conform to the laws governing tax.” Police also carried out searches at the offices of the Italian football federation (FIGC) in Rome. A FIGC spokesman told AFP: “The police requested copies of contracts between agents, the players and the club and we obliged. That is all we can say on the matter.” Reigning Italian Cup champions Napoli have been one of the top teams in Italy’s Serie A so far this season and currently sit joint top with Juventus. Along with Juventus, Napoli are the only other unbeaten team in the league after six games. They are also involved in the Europa League and face PSV in Eindhoven Thursday. The police raids are the latest in Italian football, which has been dogged in recent years by claims of match-fixing and illegal betting that have led to clubs being docked points or demoted, with players and managers banned from the sport. Former Bari footballer Andrea Masiello and two associates were given suspended prison terms Wednesday by a Bari court for their role in fixing several Serie A matches. Masiello hit the headlines at the end of the 2011 season when it was revealed he had accepted cash to deflect the ball into his own net in a derby against Lecce. Bari had already been virtually relegated but the goal secured victory, and Serie A survival, for Lecce. The investigating magistrate, Michele Parisi, said four matches – Palermo vs. Bari, Bari vs. Sampdoria, Bari vs. Lecce and Bologna vs. Bari – were under investigation. Earlier this year, police raided the training camp of the Italy national side just before the European championships as part of a countrywide probe into illegal betting on matches. The coach of Serie A champions Juventus, Antonio Conte, was handed a 10-month touchline ban in August, for failing to disclose knowledge of rigged matches during his time at Siena in the 2010-11 season. Conte, the most high-profile casualty of the football betting scandal that involved dozens of players and clubs, is currently appealing the ban.