An investigation into alleged tax evasion by 35 clubs in Italy's top two divisions is taking place. The country's finance police are executing search warrants as they carry out asset seizures to the reported value of 12m euros (£9.1m). The case involves 58 people involved in professional football, a Naples prosecutor said in a statement. Lawyers for AC Milan said vice president Adriano Galliani was among those under investigation. In a statement on the club's website, the lawyers dismissed the allegations as unfounded and said they expected the case to be dismissed. The investigation, dubbed 'Fuorigioco' (Offside), is believed to concern allegations of falsifying player transactions.
Fifty-eight officials, players and agents in Italy are being investigated over systematic tax evasion; though no one has been charged as yet, the authorities have seized €12m in cash, property and other assets so far. These seizures are part of a broader investigation that uncovered a "deep rooted system" intended to avoid taxes. The probe centres on allegations that players doctored documents to try to avoid tax payments; AC Milan, Napoli and Lazio are among the clubs being investigated. The system has also revealed that some Argentine agents used false documents and companies to set up in tax havens to dodge the system. Italian authorities are cracking down on tax evasion as the global financial crisis eats away at state coffers. As one report notes, could this be "arrivederci for some of Italian football's fattest cats?" This follows calls by a court in Spain for Barcelona footballer, Javier Mascherano and his father to stand trial for tax fraud, along with fellow player Lionel Messi who admitted to two counts of tax evasion this month, and last year Neymar had over £30m of assets frozen following accusations of tax evasion.