Soccer: bookies give title to Inter29-Jan-2007



*SNAI to pay out after leaders stretch winning streak to 14*

*ROME (ANSA) -* Inter Milan's lead at the top of Serie A is so solid
that Italy's top bookmaker SNAI said Monday it is paying out on an
Inter title win - four months before the end of the season.

The unprecedented move comes after Inter stretched the record for
consecutive league wins to 14 games with a 2-0 victory over Sampdoria
(10th) in Genoa on Sunday night.

The win conserved Inter's massive 11-point lead over second-placed AS
Roma, who beat Siena (11th) 1-0.

SNAI stopped taking bets on the championship winner after Inter beat
Fiorentina 3-1 last week. The agency has now announced that customers
who bet on Inter can collect their winnings from Tuesday onwards.

Inter and Roma face each other at Milan's San Siro Stadium next
weekend and both sides are insisting the title race is still very much
on.

"Let's wait and see what happens in the showdown with Roma," said
Inter coach Roberto Mancini. "We're still a long way from reaching our
goal. I don't think the championship is already over and neither do
the players".

Roma Director of Sport Daniele Pradé has not lost hope of toppling the leaders.

"Mancini's side are in impressive form, but we are up there and we
won't give up," Pradé said Monday. "We are looking to the future with
confidence". Inter's 14th consecutive win came courtesy of goals by
Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Brazilian defender Maicon.

Sampdoria played most of the game with 10 men because Gennaro
Delvecchio was sent off for imitating Zinedine Zidane by headbutting
Inter stopper Marco Materazzi. Inter's cross-town rivals AC Milan had
to work hard to grind out a 1-0 home win over Parma, thanks to a
Filippo Inzaghi goal.

On Monday Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said he would like to coach the
Italian national team when his stint at AC ends.

"It's not nice to say it now, because my friend Roberto Donadoni is
doing the job, and I hope things go great for him at the European
Championships and at the next World Cup," Ancelotti added.

On Sunday afternoon Fiorentina (13th) came back from behind to beat
Tuscan rivals Livorno (12th) 2-1.

Two late goals enabled bottom club Ascoli to steal victory from fellow
strugglers Messina (18th) 2-1, while Reggina (17th) beat Cagliari
(14th) 0-2 in Sardinia. Atalanta (8th) drew 1-1 with Catania (5th) in
Bergamo and Chievo Verona (16th) - Empoli (6th) ended goalless. On
Saturday night Lazio (4th) thrashed Palermo (3rd) 0-3 in the Sicilian
capital, while Udinese (7th) defeated Torino (15th) 2-3.
*Source(text): ANSA* *Source(images): Associated Press*


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