Lippi questioned by magistrates

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has volountarily met magistrates in Rome as shares in Juventus tumbled to a record low after investigations into transfer deals and allegations of match-fixing.

Juventus shares fell 11 per cent to €1.19 during the morning, three weeks before the national team take to the field in the World Cup.

Prime Minister Romano Prodi said on Friday the scandal "has symbolised to people the depth of the crisis of ethics and how it has entered every sector of public life".

The latest share price drop was triggered by news on Thursday that tax police searched Juventus's offices and the homes of two top players as part of an investigation into the club's dealings in the transfer market.

Over the past 10 days, Juventus's share price has halved and the club is now worth about €145 million.

Turin magistrates have placed Juve's Chief Executive Antonio Giraudo and its general manager Luciano Moggi, who resigned last week, under investigation on suspicion of false accounting relating to the club's transfer dealings.

Moggi, who has denied any wrongdoing, is already involved in a separate Naples probe into allegations of match-fixing.

Two other investigations, in Rome and Parma, are looking into dealings by GEA World, a sports management agency run by Moggi's son Alessandro, and into illegal gambling.

In Rome today, Italy coach Lippi met magistrates investigating GEA World, which has nearly 200 Italian players and coaches on its books.

Lippi, who previously coached at Juventus, denied this week that he has ever come under pressure from Moggi to select certain players for the national side.

"I've had coaches say to me, 'This lad is playing well, give him a call-up,' and I did the same to various national team coaches when I was a club coach," Lippi said on Monday. "But I have never had any kind of pressure."

The scandal has shaken Italy's most popular sport and dispirited fans as the national team prepares for the World Cup.

Yesterday tax police searched the Turin homes of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro, two of Juventus' best players, who play on their national teams.

The search warrant cited a possible irregular payment to Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam, which signed a 16 million euro deal with Juventus in 2004 transferring Ibrahimovic to Juventus.

Ajax financial director Jeroen Slop denied any irregularities.

Lippi has not been placed under investigation but was interviewed by magistrates as a person who might have relevant information.

Later today, the Juventus board is due to meet to put Carlo Sant'Albano temporarily in charge of the club. Sant'Albano is chief executive of the Agnelli family's holding company, Ifil, which controls the club.