Prosecutor says Lotito must be jailed if guilty

Lazio president Claudio Lotito should serve 20 months in prison if he is found guilty of stock-market rigging, a prosecutor told an Italian court yesterday.

Prosecutor Laura Pedio said construction magnate Roberto Mezzaroma, who is also a defendant in the case, bought 14.6 per cent of Lazio shares on June 30, 2005 but that the purchase was really on behalf of Lotito.

She said Lotito, who helped save Lazio from financial ruin when he bought the club in 2004, wanted to hide his true shareholding to avoid regulatory procedures.

The two men deny the charges.

In a separate investigation, Italian authorities said in July that an organised crime gang from Naples had tried to buy Lazio in 2006 when Lotito was given police protection from 'ultra' fans urging him to sell.

Meanwhile, the CASMS (committee concerned with safety at sporting events in Italy) has decided that Lazio fans will be forbidden from travelling to the away game against Atalanta on November 30.

CASMS said the game was 'high risk' and the presence of Lazio fans could be dangerous.