England boss Fabio Capello has Italian home raided in £7m tax probe

Search warrants were obtained from a magistrate in October - just six weeks before he took over as England coach.

Bundles of documents and folders were taken away and the offices of his accountants were also raided.

The details were revealed by the Guardia di finanza (Customs and Excise) in charge of the probe Colonel Gennaro Caramignoli.

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Colonel Caramignoli, who is based in Turin, is carrying out the probe on behalf of city prosecutor Marco Gianoglio.

He confirmed that the proble involved £7million (10 million euros) of undeclared earnings by Caplello.

The investigation relates to his spell at Juventus - the club at the centre of the corruption scandal that rocked Italian football two years ago.

Investigators in Turin are checking a complex web of offshore companies, including the Capello Family Trust based in Guernsey.

Mr Capello, 61, said last night: "I have assured the Football Association that my finances are in order and that I am not aware of any matters which would be of concern."

The FA accepted the assurances of the Italian who has just taken up a £4.8million a year job.

A spokesman for Italy's Customs and Excise said Mr Capello had not declared £7.5million. This would mean he may be accused of failing to pay £3.3million, based on a tax rate of 45 per cent.

Technically, he could face three years in prison if found guilty of tax evasion but an amnesty spares offenders jail for sentences of that length.

Colonel Caramignoli added: "Search warrants were issued and officers visited Capello's home and other properties he owns.

"The offices of his accountants Severgnini in Milan were also visited and we took away several folders of documents.

"Capello has a main home in Leganano a few miles from Milan and he also has properties in Milan.

"All these properties were raided and at all these properties several voxes of documents were taken away.

"I hope to have all the paperwork ready to forward to the prosecutor by the end of the month.

"The sums involved are in the region of 10 million Euro and if it proceeds to trial he could be sentenced to three years.

"However there is an indulto (amnesty) in Italy at the moment on sentences of three years or less so he is unlikely to go to jail."

Il Giornale newspaper said prosecutors have been focusingon Mr Capello's finances between 2004 and 2006.

In 2006, following a matchfixing inquiry, Juventus were stripped of two league titles won under Mr Capello.

Legal sources said the inquiry into Mr Capello's finances was concentrating on his income from sponsorship deals, including Zerorh+ which provides his distinctive glasses.

It is not the first inquiry he has faced. In 2003 he was fined £3,000 in a plea-bargain deal after he signed a false residency declaration.

He claimed to be a resident of Campione D'Italia, an Italian tax haven in Switzerland but at a court hearing he could not recall the address of his studio flat there.