SOCCER NEWS: Prosecutors have asked a civil court to inspect the accounts of the company that controls the Italian League leaders Roma, judicial sources close to the investigation said yesterday.
The request comes after a former accountant to Roma 2000, which has a 64 per cent stake in the Serie A club, identified irregularities related to some balance sheets listing nominal and not real values for shares, the judicial sources said.
The request comes as Italy reels from the Parmalat scandal, which is threatening the future of Parma, the company-owned team.
Roma 2000 is owned by the family of Franco Sensi, who has been president of the football club since 1993.
Roma hit some problems last summer when they had trouble producing a financial guarantee for this season and had a block on international transfers imposed by FIFA due to outstanding payments.
Those issues were resolved, however, and under coach Fabio Capello the team have played impressively this season, having lost just one of their 18 league matches.
Milan will move above Roma today if they can beat Siena at the San Siro in their re-arranged game.
Victory over the Tuscan side would complete an impressive January for Carlo Ancelotti's European champions, who have beaten Roma three times inside the past month.
Two of those wins came in the Italian Cup quarter-final but served to reinforce the impression that Milan have replaced Capello's Roma as the favourites for the Italian title.
On Sunday, Milan beat Ancona 5-0 while their nearest rivals, Roma and Juventus, were held to draws.
Roma currently lead on 43 points with Milan on 42 and champions Juventus on 40.
Milan's Portuguese midfielder Rui Costa, who on Sunday scored his first goal for the club after two-and-a-half seasons, says the team will be going all out for victory against mid-table Siena, who have impressed in their first season in the top flight.
"We certainly won't settle for 0-0," he said. "They are a good side, though, and we will have to suffer and pay attention. I saw them in their win over Perugia at the weekend and they never stopped until they got in front."
Siena will be boosted by the arrival yesterday of Brazilian World Cup winner Roque Junior on loan. The 27-year-old defender, who is contracted to AC Milan, was loaned to Leeds United after helping Milan win the Champions League.
Last season Milan struggled to maintain a competitive edge in Serie A as they focused on the Champions League. This term, though, the side have looked stronger on the domestic front. - Guardian Service
