AC Milan faces tax trial

Adriano Galliani, the vice president of AC Milan, has been called to stand trial over allegations that his club evaded tax during the early 1990s, Italian media reported on Monday. The trial is set to begin on May 9.

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Galliani, who is also president of the Italian Football League, is accused of falsifying contracts and failing to declare earnings from the image rights of top players, including ex-Italian international defender Paolo Maldini.

Also under investigation are hockey and volleyball teams belonging to Fininvest, the holding company owned by the family of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi which controls AC Milan.

"I'm surprised to be accused of tax evasion and undeclared payments," Galliani was quoted as saying by Italian news agency Ansa on Monday. "The invoices were entered regularly in the declarations of AC Milan's accounts."

This is not the first time AC Milan has fallen foul of Italy's tax police.

Last June an Italian court convicted former AC Milan players Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard of tax evasion during their time with Milan in the early 1990s. The trio were given three-month prison sentences which were then converted into fines of 1,500 euros ($1,465).

At the same time, Galliani and six other officials of the Serie A club and Fininvest were acquitted of false book-keeping for the 1992 transfer of striker Gianluigi Lentini from Torino.