Prosecutors Turn Up the Heat on Capello

Fabio Capello's legal problems in Italy deepened yesterday when it emerged that he was formally under investigation on suspicion of withholding evidence from a court of law. The development means the England coach is now the subject of two sets of criminal proceedings in his homeland. He was already being investigated by prosecutors in Turin on suspicion of tax fraud - an accusation he denies.

His problems arise from the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football two years ago, as the national team were carrying off the World Cup. For two years until 2006, when he resigned, he coached Juventus, the club at the center of the affair. In Turin he worked under the Bianconeri's general manager, Luciano Moggi, the man accused of pulling the levers of a huge match-rigging apparatus.

Capello has never been accused of any wrongdoing and was not among those charged before a sports court that tried the case. It banned Moggi from the game for five years, however, demoted Juventus and stripped the Turin club of the two titles they won under Capello.

However, Capello was called as a witness in the separate and continuing criminal trial in which Moggi and five others are accused of conspiracy to promote unfair competition through the use of threats and violence. Capello took the stand in a Rome courtroom on March 31 and said repeatedly that he did not know, or could not recall, aspects of the case about which he was questioned.

The prosecutor, Luca Palmara, openly accused the England coach of hiding behind "don't remembers and don't knows". He asked for a transcript of Capello's testimony with a view to putting him under investigation.

Palmara indicated at the time that he suspected the coach of having violated an article in the Italian penal code that deals with witnesses who "state what is false or deny what is true, or remain wholly or partially silent about what they know". The offense, which is similar to perjury, is usually punished by a fine but can result in a jail sentence of up to six years.

Capello's son and manager, Pierfilippo, said yesterday: "We'll take action and offer an explanation when necessary." A spokesman for the Football Association said: "The key point for us is that this is a private matter and we have no comment."