Evergrande boss facing jail time

Guangzhou Evergrande executive coach Fabio Cannavaro has been handed a jail sentence for breaking a police seal at his home in Italy.

Britain’s Daily Mirror reported that the former Juventus and Real Madrid central defender’s villa had been seized as part of a planning investigation, but the 41-year-old breached orders to keep out of the property.

Cannavaro was handed a 10-month jail term, while his brother Paolo, who plays for Italian Serie A side Sassuolo, and his wife Daniela Arenoso were also hit with custodial sentences.

All three have appealed, meaning the punishments are suspended until a final judgment is made at a later date, the Independent reported.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning captain, appointed by triple Chinese Super League champion Evergrande last year, has been under investigation for tax evasion and in October, the month before being hired by the Cantonese club, authorities in Naples seized almost €1m of goods linked to the star and his wife, including a €180,000 yacht.

The Daily Mail said that according to an investigation in the southern Italian city of Naples, Cannavaro, who won 136 caps for Italy and claimed two Spanish La Liga titles while at Real Madrid, went with his brother and wife to the villa for a dip in the pool -ignoring the fact that the property had been seized and they were banned from entering.

Prosecutors said that at the time the villa had been confiscated for suspected abuse of building regulations - including the fact that they had failed to secure planning permission from the local council to carry out works to the house, garden and pool.

The Cannavaro brothers and Arenoso were acquitted over the planning permission allegations, but convicted of entering a property illegally. Paolo Cannavaro was sentenced to six months in jail and Arenoso four months.