Several Milan and Inter ultras with suspected links with Mafia families were arrested Monday morning for alleged extorsion and other ‘serious’ crimes.
Italian media, including La Gazzetta dello Sport, report that 19 people, including several members of Inter and Milan ultras, were arrested Monday morning.
The investigation started at the beginning of September after the murder of Antonio Bellocco, a leading member of Inter’s Curva Nord, perpetrated by Andrea Beretta, a fellow Nerazzurri ultras.
Gazzetta reports that sixteen people were jailed, and three more were placed under house arrest.
Milan and Inter ultras arrested in anti-Mafia operation
Most of them reportedly have links with Mafia families from Calabria and have allegedly committed ‘serious’ crimes related to the football business.
According to reports, the Bellocco homicide was immediately linked to the growing connections between Mafia families and organised crime operating at San Siro through member of Milan and Inter ultras.
Alleged crimes include the extorsion of tickets and drinks sales, hush money from parking slots in the San Siro area and lesions with the aggravating circumstance of Mafia methods.
Marco Ferdico, a leading Inter ultras with strong links to Bellocco and Luca Lucci, a Milan ultras, are among the people arrested this morning.
Back in 2018, Lucci was seen shaking hands with the then-interior Minister Matteo Salvini during celebrations for the 50th Anniversary of Milan’s Curva Sud. Salvini has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport since 2022.
National Anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Melillo will hold a press conference to clarify allegations and explain the police operation at 11.30 CET today.
