January 28 – Italian police have seized assets from 58 players, agents and club executives worth more than €12 million as part of huge crackdown into alleged systematic tax evasion in the country’s top two divisions.
In Italy, being placed under investigation does not imply guilt and does not necessarily lead to charges being made and Naples prosecutor Vincenzo Piscitelli did not identify any of those involved.
But in a statement he said the action was part of a broader investigation that began in 2012 and had uncovered a “deep-rooted system intended to evade taxes, put in place by 35 soccer clubs in Serie A and Serie B”.
Media reports quoting judicial sources said those implicated included former Argentina international and Modena coach Hernan Crespo, Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis, Lazio president Claudio Lotito, and AC Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani.
Authorities allege invoices were doctored in order for less tax to be paid. The allegations were denied by De Laurentiis, who told the broadcaster Mediaset that they were “nonsense”.
“I’m super-calm,” he said. “This is an old investigation from many years ago, it can’t be commented on and it concerns several clubs, not Napoli… Not having seen the documents, I can’t comment on the other clubs, but with regard to Napoli, I repeat: it’s nothing.”
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