The president of Italy's second-tier football league has formally asked Italian federal prosecutors to investigate an advert published on the Times of Malta offering a club for €3.8 million.
Serie B president Mauro Balata presented the complaint under the guidance of lawyer Giuseppe Pecoraro.
A mystery classified advert published by the Times of Malta on Christmas Eve offered an unnamed club for sale.
The Italian club’s identity is yet to be revealed but a report in an Italian newspaper on Friday identified the team as Livorno.
Livorno president Aldo Spinelli put the club up for sale earlier this year but has struggled to find any buyers.
Times of Malta can confirm that the intermediary for the Serie B side is lawyer Carl Peralta, who runs real estate business 77 Great Estates.
Peralta is also a football agent who has a number of overseas players who are on the books of a number of Maltese clubs such as Benjamin Essel and Nehemiah Perry Jr.
Read: Italian football club for sale on Times of Malta classifieds
The advert, which was included in the classified section, indicates that the club is debt-free and the total worth of the squad is around €4.5 million even though, per transfermarkt, the international platform that calculates the clubs’ value across the world, the team which has the least market value is Cosenza with €7.98 million.
Peralta’s football agency, 77 Attackers, has a portfolio of around 30 players who are currently featuring across the globe with clubs from Europe and South America.
This website contacted Dr Peralta, who asked for questions to be sent in writing.
The club name and the details of the sale will be revealed once we identify and vet the new investors
“I don’t have much to say about the recent reports about this issue,” Dr Peralta, who was speaking from Rome, said.
He added that, “the club name and the details of the sale will be revealed once we identify and vet the new investors.
“Moreover, these investors have to agree and sign our firm’s agreement including a Non-Disclosure Clause among other items in our agreement.”
According to the Maltese lawyer, they are in talks with a potential investor as they look forward to seal the deal in the near future.
Asked whether he was concerned about any possible consequences following the Serie B chief’s complaint, Peralta said he is not disturbed at all.
“To be honest, I do not feel concerned about this as we have valid reasons to publish adverts like we did,” he explained.
Unfortunately, Serie B clubs have a reputation of shadowy investments.
Most recently, leaders Palermo were sold by former president Massimo Zamparini to England-based Sport Capital Investments Limited, with Clive Richardson becoming Palermo’s new president, for just €10.
However, Zamparini transferred all the debts (over €20 million) to the new ownership.
Even though the Lega B and the Italian Football Federation will try everything in their power to solve this issue, sadly enough, such situation remains a recurring problem in the Calcio.