Police in Milan have arrested 19 people as part of an operation against hardcore “ultra” football fans, most of whom were accused of having links to the mafia.
Among those arrested were Luca Lucci and Renato Bosetti, leaders of the AC Milan and Inter Milan ultras respectively.
Lucci, who was previously convicted on drug charges, was photographed shaking hands with Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-right League party, in 2018. Salvini is deputy prime minister and transport minister in Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government.
The investigation began after the murder of Antonio Bellocco, a powerful member of the ’Ndrangheta crime syndicate, in early September. Bellocco was killed during a fight outside a Milan boxing gym, allegedly by Andrea Beretta, one of Bosetti’s predecessors. Beretta had a leading role in the Inter Milan ultras, known as the Curva Nord, after the career criminal Vittorio Boiocchi was shot dead outside his home in October 2022.
Italy’s finance police said the charges included “criminal conspiracy aggravated by mafia methods, extortion, assault and other serious crimes”.
Bellocco’s murder heightened suspicions over the growing connection between mafia clans and ultras operating in Milan’s San Siro stadium.
Marco Ferdico, a close associate of Bellocco, was also arrested, as were Alex Cologno and Christian Rosiello, who were described by the Italian press as being “friends and bodyguards” of the high-profile rapper Fedez.
The alleged crimes include ticket touting; forced “pizzo” payments, or protection money, from the sellers of food and drink outside the stadium, or in return for car park spaces; and grievous bodily harm.
The Milan prosecutor Marcello Viola, quoted by the Ansa news agency, said it was “a complex investigation” brought together by various branches of Italy’s state police. He also said Milan police had banned numerous others from accessing “places where sporting events take place”.
He described illicit economic activities at the San Siro stadium as being “beyond control” and that this was partly due to the “shortcomings” in the management of fan relations.
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AC Milan and Inter Milan are two of Italy’s most prominent football clubs. Supporters of the two teams made a “non-belligerence” agreement in 1981 after the death of a 21-year-old fan. But police said the pact turned into a business deal aimed at “making profits” and jointly infiltrating “every possible profitable aspect of football”.
Ultras tend to be well-organised, extremely violent and racist. Ultra leaders reportedly earn thousands of euros a month in illegal activities.