Italy tax police search Juventus offices: source

TURIN, Italy, May 18: Italian tax police searched the offices of soccer club Juventus today as part of an investigation into the club's dealings in the transfer market, an investigative source told Reuters.

Magistrates have placed the club's former chief executive, Antonio Giraudo, who resigned last week, under investigation on suspicion of false accounting relating to the club's dealings in the transfer market.

Juventus shares fell after the news of the search and at 0840 GMT were down 5.43 per cent at 1.39 euros.

The Turin investigation is one of several to have rocked the world of Italian football this month.

In Naples, 41 people including officials of several clubs, referees and Football Federation executives are under investigation for suspected match-fixing.

The top two officials of Italy's Football Federation resigned last week, and the federation was put under emergency administration.

Shares in Juventus, winner of the Serie A league title for the second successive year on Sunday, have lost more than 40 percent of its value since May 9, before its board resigned, and the club now has a market value of about 165.7 million euros (213.7 million dollars).

Juventus face possible relegation to Serie B if their officials are found guilty of attempting to influence the outcome of matches.

Juventus said earlier this week that Carlo Sant'Albano, chief executive of the Agnelli family holding company Ifil which controls the club, would be put temporarily in charge of Juventus at a board meeting set for Friday.

REUTERS