The Observer:
Italian football is in meltdown with the World Cup less than a month away. Four Serie A clubs stand accused of match-fixing, a referee and his assistants have been pulled off the World Cup list while being investigated for corruption, the Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon may also miss the tournament as a result of a betting scandal, and several of the most senior figures at club and national level have been forced to resign.
Italy's national game has been shaken by a barrage of allegations, with prosecutors in five Italian cities - Rome, Turin, Naples, Parma and Perugia - investigating claims of coercion of referees, threats and blackmail, illegal betting, false accounting and even a report of holding match officials against their will.
If Buffon is found guilty of illegal betting - phone taps reveal the Juventus number one wagered as much as €500,000 in a single bet in a series totalling over €2 million - he could be kicked out of the Italy squad, which is due to be named tomorrow. Buffon was questioned by magistrates in Turin yesterday and his lawyer said that the bets were placed before the autumn of 2005, when new regulations came into force. The goalkeeper made no comment.
Italy's coach, Marcello Lippi, has been forced publicly to deny claims that callups to the national side have been influenced by business interests. And the national team's captain, Fabio Cannavaro, has been implicated in further claims of skulduggery. Cannavaro is said to have deliberately underperformed at his former club, Inter, in order to facilitate a move to Juventus two years ago.
Italy's FA are rudderless after their top two officials were forced to stand down, and prosecutors in Rome and Naples are probing GEA World, the management company that handles more transfers in Italy than any other. GEA World is run by Alessandro Moggi, son of Luciano Moggi, the man at the centre of the investigation. Moggi senior quit as general manager of Juventus after being heavily implicated.
The People:
The Italian FA have withdrawn the accreditation of referee Massimo De Santis after he was implicated in a match-fixing scandal.
And Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has been questioned by prosecutors for suspected illegal betting.
FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said that De Santis won't be replaced at the tournament.
Herren said: "Instead of 23 referees, there will be 22 referees."
Juventus said Buffon "presented himself of his own volition to magistrates", but didn't say what he told prosecutors. Italy's World Cup squad will be announced tomorrow, and his participation in the tournament is now in doubt.