The prosecutor leading the inquiry into allegations of match-fixing in Italy warned yesterday that the Calcioscomesse affair was far from over and that fresh revelations were likely to emerge.

“We’re far from a conclusion,” Cremona prosecutor Roberto Di Martino told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Betting on football, as you can see today, is an international problem.

“I predict important developments between now and the autumn or the start of next year.”

Di Martino did not explicitly mention names but hinted that matches from Italy’s top-flight Serie A were concerned.

“The names of new players emerge every day but before (talking about it), we have to confront them,” he said.

The Italian authorities have to date identified 18 suspicious matches, including one Serie A fixture between Inter and Lecce, and made 16 arrests, including former Italy international Beppe Signori.

Signori denies the charges against him but “his position has not moved an inch,” according to Di Martino.

The prosecutor, who has already said that “the problem exists in Serie A and is serious,” said he regretted the lack of cooperation from the accused parties.

“Confronted with certain recordings, it’s difficult to deny them, but they all say they’ve clarified their position, even though none of them have produced a shred of evidence to lift the accusations,” said Di Martino.

“There’s an attitude of omerta (code of silence).”

Italy has an unwelcome history of match-fixing.

The most high-profile recent scandal, 2006’s Calciopoli affair, saw Juventus stripped of two league titles and relegated to Serie B after being found guilty of trying to influence refereeing appointments.

Fiorentina, Milan and Lazio were also punished over the affair and while all three held onto their Serie A status, they were docked 15, eight and three points respectively.

Inter will discover later this month whether they are allowed to keep the 2006 Serie A title that was attributed to them in the wake of the scandal.

Inter, who finished third that season, were awarded the Scudetto after Juve’s demotion but the San Siro giants are themselves accused of “illegal” contacts with referees by Italian state prosecutor Stefano Palazzi.

Palazzi, who claims Inter would have been found guilty too if all the taped telephone conversations used in the initial investigation had been listened to, has recommended that the 2006 title be left vacant, like its 2005 equivalent.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) are set to rule on the case on July 18.