THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — England coach Fabio Capello is confident he will be proven innocent of tax evasion.
Only nine days into his new job, the Italian is reportedly being investigated in his homeland. But Capello said Wednesday he has no reason to fear an investigation into his finances.
"With my advisers, I have always endeavoured to conduct my financial business with integrity," Capello said in a statement released through the Football Association. "I have assured the FA today that my finances are in order and that I am not aware of any matters which would be of concern.
"I understand that these inquiries in Italy are part of a wider investigation into the finances of many high-profile individuals."
Italian newspaper Il Giornale said Wednesday that prosecutors in Turin have opened an investigation into possible undeclared earnings, but did not specify the amount.
The ANSA news agency said the earnings under investigation date back to some of the years Capello spent as coach at AS Roma and Juventus.
Capello joined Juventus in 2004 after five seasons at Roma. He left Juventus in 2006 after the club became involved in a match-fixing scandal.
Turin prosecutors were not immediately available to confirm the reports.
Capello’s lawyer, Alberto Moro Visconti, told the Italian news agency Apcom that "everything will be cleared up as soon as possible," adding that "the story of under-the-table wages is completely made up."
Pier Filippo Capello, the England coach’s son and agent, said he believed that the inquiries were a throwback to the match-fixing scandal which led to Juventus being relegated from the Serie A.
"This is not an investigation. It is merely to ascertain some facts," he said. "We know about it, but it is merely an offshoot of the ‘Calciopoli’ — football bribery investigation."
Capello, who has also coached at AC Milan and Real Madrid, was hired in December to replace Steve McClaren after England failed to qualify for this year’s European Championship.
Italian authorities are investigating other high-profile figures for tax fraud, including seven-time motorcycling world champion Valentino Rossi, who has been a British resident since 2000. He has denied wrongdoing, but said he is ready to pay up if authorities rule that he had evaded taxes.