Inter's Recoba gives up Italian citzenship

Internazionale star Alvaro Recoba is no longer an EU registered player say the Milan club.

Midfielder Alvaro Recoba is the latest star whose passport is causing concern.

The prefect of Milan interviewed the Uruguayan international yesterday as party of an investigation by officials in Udine into false passports from Brazil.

Recoba's passport is genuine but Inter have asked for the player to removed from their list of EU-qualified foreign internationals.

That list now reads: Cordoba, Simic, Ronaldo and from today Recoba again.

Recoba was granted EU status in September 1999 but Italian media reports say the player's family origins are in question.

The player began his life in Italy as a non-EU registered player after joining Inter from Nacional in 1997 but there were few chances for him in the first team and he was loaned to Venezia where he proved a big success and gained an Italian passport through distant family background which has now been questioned.

The Udine investigation is into the Portuguese documents of Brazilian players Alberto and Warley. after they were stopped on entry to Poland last September before a UEFA Cup tie against Chorzow. Polish officials said the pair had false passports.

SS Lazio's Argentine midfielder Juan Veron applied for Italian citizenship at the same time as Recoba and his documents are under investigation by Rome authorities.