Italy probes clubs in new 'scam'

Several corruption investigations are under way in Italian football

Italian police are investigating 12 football clubs, including Serie A sides Chievo, Lecce, Siena and Reggina, in connection with suspected match-fixing.

Five players - three said to be from Siena - are reported to be among about a dozen people being investigated.

According the Italian news agency Ansa, a convicted Naples mafia boss was also among the group.

Anti-mafia police carried out raids in 14 towns, seizing documents and files - reportedly acting on telephone taps.

In addition to the four Serie A clubs, other clubs being investigated are: Ascoli, Catanzaro, Crotone, Fermana, Lumezzane, Piacenza and Sassari Torres and Taranto, Ansa said.

In a statement quoted by Reuters news agency, Siena said they had not been accused of any wrongdoing as a club.

Italian football was rocked by a major gambling and match-fixing scandal in the early 1980s, which saw top clubs AC Milan and Lazio relegated to the Second Division.

Italian football is currently plagued by financial woes.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi - himself president of AC Milan - is under pressure to bail out ailing Serie A clubs.