Inter Milan coach Jose' Mourinho was cited by a soccer prosecutor Wednesday after claiming rival coaches had conspired to blow a penalty incident out of proportion and suggesting scudetto rival Juventus had benefitted more from dodgy refereeing decisions.
The Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) prosecutor said he was also citing Inter striker Mario Balotelli and AS Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi.
He said the charges would be fully formulated Thursday.
On Tuesday Mourinho accused rivals and the media of ''intellectual prostitution and manipulation'' by fomenting a row over a penalty awarded to Balotelli that helped Inter draw against Roma and keep a seven-point lead over Juve.
He also suggested that Juve had had more questionable refereeing calls go in their favour than Inter.
The ex-Chelsea manager also accused Roma coach Luciano Spalletti of being cosy with TV pundits.
After Sunday's match, Spalletti accused Balotelli of diving, a charge that was not clarified by TV replays.
Italy midfielder De Rossi went further, suggesting that referees were deliberately favouring Inter as they allegedly did last year when it won the championship with Roma close behind in second.
The FIGC prosecutor did not immediately say what the possible charges against Mourinho and De Rossi were but pundits thought the pair would be accused of making inflammatory statements and bringing the game into disrepute.
Balotelli, on the other hand, is believed to have fallen foul of the prosecutor by making gestures at Roma fans after slotting home the penalty that earned Inter a 3-3 draw.
The incident led to calls Wednesday for coaches and players to calm down.
LIPPI LEADS 'CALM-DOWN' CALLS.
Italy coach Marcello Lippi, quizzed by foreign journalists about the Inter boss, said: ''March is when the season is decided and tempers are already hot so it would be a good idea for all those concerned, especially the most important ones, to keep their composure''.
The head of the Italian coaches association, Renzo Ulivieri, said Mourinho's claims were perhaps a ''little over the top'' and urged the fiery Inter boss and his rivals at Juventus and Roma to ''tone things down''.
FIGC's move came after Juve asked it to step in and coach Claudio Ranieri, an old sparring partner of Mourinho's, slammed the Portuguese coach's allegations as ''showing Inter's style''.
The FIGC subsequently called on all concerned to ''avoid fuelling tensions'' that might spill over onto the terraces.
As well as inviting criticism, however, Mourinho's ''prostitution'' remarks were praised for their frankness.
''He has undoubtedly brought a breath of fresh air into our world,'' said coaches' chief Ulivieri.
''In the last few years managers were somewhat cowed by the media, repeating only the same set phrases, but Mourinho has sounded a wake-up call''.
The Portuguese coach has a reputation for controversy following his spell at Chelsea where he delighted the British media with an outspoken style that started with his self-description as 'the Special One'.
Ranieri, the Juve coach, preceded Mourinho at Chelsea and the pair already crossed swords earlier this season after Mourinho criticised Ranieri's alleged failure to learn English.
Inter and Juve's rivalry has been intense in recent years and increased in 2006 when Juve was relegated to Serie B for the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal and Juve stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Veira moved to Turin.
