Italian court targets AC Milan vice president Galliani

ROME (AFP) - An Italian court here on Monday called for AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani to stand trial on charges of false accounting.

In addition to Galliani, Italian prosecutors issued a similar summons for Inter Milan vice president Rinaldo Ghelfi and a former Inter director, Mauro Gambaro, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

AC Milan and city rivals Inter are suspected of inflating their turnover figures for 2003-2005 to improve their balance sheets.

AC Milan, responding to Monday's development, insisted they were in the clear and that Galliani was innocent.

"Our accounts are accurate," the European champions said in a statement.

The affair centres on allegations that Inter and AC Milan bumped up the amount they had received from players' transfers so as to play down the true extent of their financial losses.

They are accused of exchanging second string players between themselves at over-inflated prices in order to wipe out part of their debts and fall back within parameters imposed by the Italian Football Federation.