News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 18th December 2024
Italian crime lords and the far-right are tapping into the muscle and money-making operations of hardline ‘ultra’ soccer supporters in many Italian cities, with mobsters even attempting to seize control of certain smaller teams, according to Italy’s top anti-mafia prosecutor.
An investigation by Milan prosecutors and the national anti-mafia prosecutor’s office discovered that extreme groups at Inter and AC Milan, two of the greatest names in Italian soccer, have reportedly been involved with criminal organizations.According to authorities, extreme leaders with ties to Italy’s famed ‘Ndrangheta mafia operate ticket frauds and protection rackets on drink stalls and car parks near the city’s San Siro stadium, which both teams share.
In a 568-page arrest document, prosecutors established a clear link between leaders of Inter’s ‘Curva Nord’, the club’s biggest ultra faction, and the ‘Ndrangheta, the country’s largest organised criminal gang. “Inter as a club is in a subservient position in its dealings with members of the Curva Nord,” prosecutors stated in the paper.
Subsequent investigations have also tied a prominent AC Milan ultra to alleged cocaine trafficking and the ‘Ndrangheta.Criminal infiltration stretches far beyond Milan to a number of other Italian towns, with mobsters attempting to obtain control of fans and clubs at all levels of the professional game, according to papers and interviews with two prosecutors.
Inter and city rivals AC Milan, both owned by U.S. investors, said they are cooperating with the authorities.
“I want to reassure all our fans that we are the injured party, as the authorities have said,” Inter President Giuseppe Marotta told broadcaster Sky in October. The club declined further comment when approached by Reuters. AC Milan said it had provided the authorities with all the documentation they requested. “We’re continuing to follow the guidance of the experts from the prosecutor’s office to identify and work on the areas where we need to intervene,” the club said in a statement.
Most Italian soccer clubs are supported by groups of ultras, who carry banners, coordinate shouting by megaphone, and set up mosaic-style displays before games. Their traditions have been imitated by dedicated fan organizations across Europe. These groups, which date back to the 1960s, have a history of violence, battling with other gangs and splintering into a variety of warring factions. “The stadium is a place where for a long time it was considered necessary to tolerate and, at best, contain examples of blatant illegality, governed by organised groups that exercise almost military control over the stands,” said Giovanni Melillo, Italy’s Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Chief Prosecutor.
According to National Prosecutor Melillo, players and coaches have been intimidated by hardline supporters who have the power to make or ruin their careers. “The relationship with these groups is considered in some cases crucial for the future of clubs, coaches and players.” Investigations into such ties had previously helped to unearth betting scandals, but the nature of contemporary gaming has made this much more difficult, he added.
“In a system where people even bet on the number of corners or offsides in a match, it is much more difficult to understand what is going on,” he told reporters. According to sources, Umberto Calcagno, the president of the Italian players’ union and a former player, has been monitoring the issue of intimidation for the previous decade.
In one incident, bullets were fired into the car of Foggia’s captain, Davide Di Pasquale, after his third-tier team lost a promotion playoff in June 2023. His vacant Jeep had been parked at the club’s stadium.
The Milan inquiry demonstrates the amount of access ultras had as they attempted to get more tickets for major matches, which may be sold for multiples of their face value.
Inter ultra Marco Ferdico contacted Inter coach Simone Inzaghi on his cell phone and asked him to urge club management to assign extra seats to the group for the Champions League final versus Manchester City in Istanbul in June 2023 – the pinnacle of European football.
