Serie A side Lazio President Claudio Lotito hit out at "a campaign of lies" after reports he is "under suspicion for illicit deals," according to FOOTBALL ITALIA. Prosecutors in Milan are reportedly investigating Lotito, among others, for "rigging the sale of TV rights" in favor of one particular broadcaster. Lotito said, "For eight months now, a campaign of lies has been taking place against me. I've read many untrue things about myself. I know what I have done and what I have not done, I'm not going to comment in any way on speculation in the newspapers." The case is related to Infront Italy President Marco Borgarelli, who is being investigated "under suspicion of money laundering," after Swiss company Tax&Finance President Andrea Baroni was arrested last week. Prosecutors are looking into claims that Borgarelli, in his role as adviser to the Lega Serie A and Serie B, "sought to rig bidding" for TV rights in favor of Reti Televisive Italiane, a subsidiary of Mediaset. Wednesday's Gazzetta dello Sport alleges that Genoa President Enrico Preziosi, Lotito and Bari's Gianluca Paparesta are "also under suspicion from prosecutors" (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 10/14). FORZA ITALIAN FOOTBALL reported Preziosi said that he has "nothing to worry about after he became embroiled in an investigation." Police have raided the offices of Serie A as well as other clubs as part of a "wider investigation into the distribution of TV broadcasting rights" concerning Infront, Sky Italia and Mediaset. According to the Corriere della Sera, Preziosi’s Genoa allegedly received a payment of €15M ($17M) in order to meet Serie A's financial criteria. Preziosi: "It is absolutely untrue. It was a payment of €15 million which was issued in three tranches from my Swiss account which is regularly declared to the Italian authorities, I am calm. The TV rights? Apart from Fiorentina who abstained, every club was in favor of the deal" (FORZA ITALIAN FOOTBALL, 10/15).
