Italy soccer chief vows action on new match-fixing claims

ROME, Apr 14 (Reuters) The president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has promised quick action after an investigation by magistrates in Naples threw up new allegations of match-fixing in Serie A during the 2004-05 season.

''There is a desire on the part of everybody to have a quick solution. Not so that we can forget the problems, but to clarify the situation and relaunch the sport,'' Giancarlo Abete was quoted as saying by Italian news agency ASCA today.

''We knew that there could be other difficult moments. We certainly will not underestimate these allegations.'' Last year a trial into match-fixing ended with Juventus being stripped of their last two Serie A titles and relegated to the second division Serie B, and four other top-flight clubs -- AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, and Reggina -- starting this season with penalty points.

The prospect of a new match-fixing trial was raised earlier this week when the magistrates in Naples concluded their probe by naming 48 people they suspected of wrongdoing.

The list, which named present and former club officials, former Federation staff, and present and former referees and linesmen, included many of those who faced trial in the first match-fixing scandal last year.

Former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, the central figure in last year's match-fixing trial, was among those the magistrates claimed had tried to influence the result of 40 Serie A matches - 15 of which did not feature in last year's trial.

The first fallout from the new allegations was felt when Italy's National Referees Committee (CAN) withdrew three referees who were due to take charge of matches in Serie B this weekend.

The magistrates' findings are expected to be delivered to the FIGC's office of investigations next week.

The FIGC will then decide whether to hold an investigation of their own.

Even if they decide not to hold a trial, the new allegations represent a blow to the image of Italian football less than a week before UEFA's executive committee meet in Cardiff to vote on Italy's bid to hold Euro 2012, which faces competition from joint bids by Hungary and Croatia, and Poland and Ukraine.

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