The scandal has gripped a football-mad nation and cast a shadow over Italy’s World Cup performances since many of the national team players are drawn from the clubs under investigation.

The affair has been dubbed “Calciopoli”, a fusion of calcio — Italian for football — and Tangentopoli, the political bribery scandal of the early 1990s which toppled a number of senior Italian politicians and led to the collapse of the once all-powerful Christian Democratic party.

Francesco Borrelli, the veteran magistrate who himself played a leading part in the 1990s “Clean Hands” anti-corruption drive, last week accused Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio as well as 26 officials, referees and linesmen of “sporting fraud”.

They were ordered to appear before a sports tribunal at the Olympic Stadium in Rome on Thursday. Verdicts are expected on July 7 — two days before the World Cup final — with the appeals process to be concluded by July 20, a week before it is decided which Italian teams will compete in the Champions League and Uefa Cup.

Juventus, who have won the league title in Italy 29 times, could be stripped of the Serie A titles it won in the past two seasons and faces relegation to Serie B and possibly to Serie C1.

Officials from three more Serie A clubs — Reggina, Siena and Empoli — were called in for questioning today by magistrates.

Judicial sources said the new investigation, like the first, arose from intercepted telephone conversations during the 2004-05 season.

Three Serie B sides — Messina, Lecce and Arezzo — are also under investigation.

The focus of “Calciopoli” is Luciano Moggi, the former Juventus manager, who is accused of wielding enormous behind-the-scenes power through a network of compliant FIGC officials, club managers, referees and linesmen which he allegedly used to fix matches. Signor Moggi denies any wrongdoing.

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