By Xinhua
Rome : England coach Fabio Capello is under investigation for evading tax on earnings worth 10 million euros, particularly from sponsorships, while he was at former clubs Roma and Juventus.
Italian tax authorities have inducted the probe and it will be a part of a wider investigation into illegal activities of officials at Juventus, which sparked a huge scandal and led to the Turin giants being relegated into Serie B.
The Football Association (FA), the ruling body of the sport in England, said they had already spoken to Capello, who was appointed last month after England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
“We have spoken to Fabio and his advisors and they have explained the matter to us. His tax questions are in order,” an FA spokesman said.
“We understand that the Italian authorities are investigating a certain number of important people in the sporting world,” the spokesman added.
Capello, who also coached AC Milan and Real Madrid in one of the most successful club careers in history, is still a resident in Turin for tax purposes. The England coach is not the first Italian sporting personality to fall foul of Italy’s tax authorities.
Skiing star Alberto Tomba and motorcycling ace Valentino Rossi both settled huge lawsuits out of court after long wrangles with the taxman.