A lawyer for Hector Cuper says the Racing Santander coach had no involvement in an Italian match-fixing scandal in 2006-07 following a request from Naples prosecutors to question his client.

The prosecutors sent a letter of request on Friday to Spanish authorities seeking permission to question Cuper, who is alleged to have given information to a group of bettors about two Spanish league games and two Argentine league matches.

The former Inter boss has firmly denied the allegations in a statement sent to Spanish news agency EFE through his lawyer Vicente Montes.

“My client wishes to be questioned as soon as possible, so that this surprising accusation against his person can be settled immediately,” the statement read.

“We want to use this statement to deny any type of involvement, direct or indirect, by our client in the betting scandal which is being investigated in Italy.”

The matches concerned took place during the 2006-07 campaign, a season when Cuper was between jobs at Mallorca and Real Betis.

Sixteen people were arrested on 1 June for alleged involvement in a match-fixing and betting ring. Among the subsequent punishments were a six-point penalty for Serie A club Atalanta and a 3½ year ban for club captain Cristiano Doni.

Cuper was initially named in the list of people to be questioned as witnesses.