Documents have been confiscated from Lega Serie A offices and several clubs in the top division of Italian football as part of an ongoing investigation by the country's financial police, the Guardia di Finanza, into the sale of domestic media rights, according to the Ansa news agency and the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
In May, police carried out searches of the offices of Italian media company Mediaset, pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia and the Infront Sports & Media agency, Serie A’s exclusive adviser for the national and international media rights, as part of the probe.
The investigation is reportedly focusing on sublicensing deals between Sky Italia and Mediaset Premium’s parent company RTI for domestic Serie A coverage over three years, from 2015-16 to 2017-18.
Genoa and Lazio from Serie A and Bari from the second-tier Serie B were among the clubs raided by the police, Gazzetta said. Genoa president Enrico Preziosi told the newspaper that all of the money transfers are "traceable" and added that the club is ready to clarify any details to the authorities.
Tax consultant Andrea Baroni was arrested on Friday on charges of criminal association aimed at money laundering and tax evasion in relation to the case, the reports added.