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EU appeased as Italy promise to amend bankruptcy law

Raf Casert
Wednesday 10 March 2004 01:00 GMT
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The European Commission suspended an investigation yesterday into an Italian law to help Italian football clubs stave off bankruptcy, after the Rome government promised to make key changes.

The European Commission suspended an investigation yesterday into an Italian law to help Italian football clubs stave off bankruptcy, after the Rome government promised to make key changes.

The European Union's executive office also promised to close the case if the amended bill was fully approved by the Italian authorities.

The EU was investigating whether the Salva Calcio law violated EU state aid and accounting rules. The probe was seen as a financial threat hanging over some of Italy's most powerful clubs.

"I am happy to announce that the Italian government has accepted to modify the so-called Salva Calcio law and to explicitly exclude the possibility that state aid is given according to this law," Mario Monti, the EU Antitrust Commissioner, said . "The Italian taxpayer can rest assured: Irrespective of how the financial situation of Italian soccer clubs will develop, it will not be the taxpayers that will be called upon to bail out Italian soccer."

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