Ultra fans arrested in Milan for extortion and mafia ties

MILAN (Reuters) – Italian police have arrested 19 high-profile ‘ultra’ football fans linked to Inter Milan and AC Milan. Many of them are suspected of having links to the ‘Ndrangheta mafia, prosecutors said on Monday.

The case revealed how fan clubs have been transformed into crime gangs, carrying out ticket and protection fraud on drinks stalls and car parks around the San Siro stadium, which is shared by the two Serie A teams, investigators said.

“This is an important investigation because it forces us to open our eyes to the reality, to the risks of the mafia’s influence in the stadiums,” the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism, Giovanni Melillo, told a press conference in Milan .

Prosecutors and police said the suspects, including the heads of the respective ultra groups, had challenged officials and players from both clubs to pressure them to hand over large quantities of tickets for resale.

“Inter Milan and AC Milan are (the) damaged parties, victims,” Milan chief prosecutor Marcello Viola said. AC Milan said they would cooperate fully with investigators. Inter Milan made no immediate comment.

News of the investigation comes less than a month after an Inter-ultras leader, Andrea Beretta, was arrested for the murder of Antonio Bellocco, a top figure in the Calabrian Bellocco ‘Ndrangheta mafia syndicate.

Police said Inter fans had done business with the mafia group, adding that Beretta killed Bellocco over a financial dispute. Beretta has denied the murder charge, saying he acted in self-defense.

Inter Milan and AC Milan are ruthless sporting rivals, but their respective ultra clubs had signed a non-war pact to maximize their illegal profits, police and prosecutors said.

Police said football fans needed to change their mindset.

“If there is no change in the way these things work, the people we have arrested will be replaced by others who will commit the same crimes,” Milan prosecutor Paolo Storari told the news conference.

Prosecutors said the two teams also needed to review their dealings with fans and said changes to their corporate structure were necessary to prevent a recurrence of the alleged criminal infiltration.

“Football is a business activity and criminal organizations are interested in all business activities. Unfortunately, we have seen that there are no complaints from the entrepreneurs who are victims,” ​​said Antonio Quintavalle, general of the financial police.

(Reporting by Emilio Parodi, additional reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by Crispian Balmer and Christian Radnedge)