ITALY’S World Cup-winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro, has appealed a 10-month prison sentence for entering a villa of his after it had been seized by authorities.
Cannavaro, 41, had the residence in Posillipo taken back in 2009 amid an investigation into fraudulent activity involving the former Juventus and Real Madrid defender and his partner.
Naples’ fiscal police force, the Guardia di Finanza, had ordered the villa be seized due to the investigation that has barred the current head coach of Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande from accessing the property and also saw a yacht worth €180,000 taken by the authorities.
According to reports in Italy, including Il Giornale, Cannavaro gained access to the villa without permission and spent time bathing in its swimming pool.
His partner, Daniela Arenoso, has also been sentenced to four months behind bars with Cannavaro’s brother Paolo, a defender for Serie A side Sassuolo, given a six-month jail sentence. All three have appealed and will have their sentences suspended until the appeal is heard.
A separate investigation into the building of the villa without the necessary planning permission was archived several years ago.
Cannavaro retired in 2011 and worked as a pundit for ITV at the World Cup. He won the 2006 Ballon d’Or trophy after helping Italy to win the World Cup and also claimed two La Liga titles in a career that took in time at Napoli, Parma, Internazionale, Juventus and Dubai-based Al-Ahli.
