Vieri to sue former club Inter over spying claims

ROME, Apr 20 (Reuters) Christian Vieri is planning to sue his former club Inter Milan over allegations that they employed a firm of private investigators to spy into his personal life, his lawyer said today.

Danilo Buongiorno said the 33-year-old striker was seeking nine million euros from the Serie A club, as compensation for ''moral, existential, image, and patrimonial damages''.

He was seeking a further 12 million euros from Telecom Italia, added Buongiorno, over allegations that the staff at the telecommunications company passed on information about his phone calls to the investigators.

Vieri played for Inter between 1999 and 2005, scoring 103 goals in 144 games. He now plays for Atalanta, who host Inter in Serie A on Sunday.

His warm relations with his former club were poisoned last September, however, when the Italian Football Federation's office of investigation opened a probe into claims that Inter had spied on Vieri and former referee Massimo De Santis, the referee found guilty of attempting to influence the results of Serie A matches in last year's match-fixing scandal.

The initial hearing is due to take place on May 2.

Reuters TB GC1726