Euro 2012: Italy hit by another pre-tournament scandal

There are striking parallels to be drawn with Italy's ultimately triumphant 2006 World Cup campaign, but this is nostalgia of the most uncomfortable kind. Six years ago, after Juventus had been crowned Serie A champions, the ceiling all but fell in on Italian football, when several clubs were found to have been interfering with referee appointments.

This time round, the finger of blame is pointing primarily at players accused of match-fixing, albeit the scale of the investigation doesn't appear nearly as broad. But that will come as little consolation to Italy boss Cesare Prandelli, who will likely be fielding very few questions about football in the coming days.

Prandelli's primary concern will be that of Domenico Criscito, who is one of 19 individuals implicated in the scandal. The 25-year-old, who currently plies his trade at Zenit St Petersburg, had his room searched at Italy's Euro 2012 camp, though he has neither been arrested nor charged at this stage.

Prandelli, who has instituted a strict code of ethics since taking the job two years ago, will likely send Criscito packing if he's not cleared prior to the tournament. Such a move would be of considerable inconvenience, with Criscito set to start at left back - or left wing-back if they go 3-5-2 - for the Azzurri.

If required, he will likely call upon Palermo's Federico Balzaretti to fill the void, though Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus can also double as a makeshift full-back, though taking him out of the centre is far from ideal.

Whether Criscito is retained or not, this is the most unfortunate of distractions with Italy's opening group game against Spain less than a fortnight away. But for all the doom and gloom this will inevitably inspire, 2006 is proof that adversity is not always a precursor to failure. Moreover, Italy have the uncanny habit of producing the goods every six years. They were champions in 1982, semi-finalists in 1988, runners up in 1994 and again in 2000, before winning the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Admittedly, Prandelli probably needs more than good omens at this stage, but having history on his side won't hurt. As it stands, Italy are sixth favourites at 15.529/2 to lift the trophy this summer, and can be backed at 5.04/1 to open with a win against holders Spain.

UPDATE: The Italian Football Federation have confirmed that Criscito will be withdrawn from the squad.