Milan and Inter face external scrutiny due to links with the mafia

Reports from Italy claim that independent organizations could soon take control of Inter Milan and AC Milan. The alarming issue comes down to possible influence at the clubs by alleged mafia members. Local police arrested nearly twenty people on Monday in connection with organized crime. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that several of those arrested were official ultra members of Inter and Milan.

The investigation reportedly stemmed from the murder of a top figure at Inter’s Curva Nord. According to the aforementioned report, another member of the club’s ultras committed the murder.

In addition to the alleged murder, those recently arrested apparently committed other mafia-related crimes around the San Siro. The historic football stadium is currently home to both Inter and Milan. The police say that the perpetrators committed, among other things, extortion of ticket and liquor sales.

A majority of those recently arrested are said to have links to mafia members in the Calabria region of the country. Calabria, located in southern Italy, is approximately 1,100 kilometers away from Milan.

Arrested ultra members are said to have met players from both teams

Following the arrests, local police have reported that ultras from Inter and Milan essentially collaborated in the plan. “There was a non-war pact between the ultras (Milan and Inter) to maximize profits,” said Milan prosecutor Marcello Viola.

“Activities were only carried out to gain economic benefit. The interest in the clubs was just a facade. Inter and Milan are just damaged subjects.”

Viola further claimed that Inter officials in particular were not managing relations with their ultras very well. This allowed the fan groups, allegedly influenced by the mafia, to make huge profits on ticket resale.

Due to the issue, authorities are now asking Inter and Milan to clarify their actual relationship with the ultras. This is especially the case with the members who were arrested on Monday.

Recent reports claim that several recently arrested ultras had significant influence over the two teams. One member is said to have pressured Inter manager Simone Inzaghi for more tickets for the 2023 Champions League final against Manchester City. Similar ultrasounds also had a personal meeting with Milan Skriniar just a few weeks later. The centre-back opted to leave Serie A that summer and join PSG.

On the part of AC Milan, the report claims that captain Davide Calabria had also previously met a prominent ultra member. The authorities arrested this particular ultra in the lurch.

Clubs must prove that they have cut ties with mafia-linked ultras

According to the aforementioned report, Milan authorities are now investigating the two local clubs. Both Inter and Milan must prove that they now have no links with the ultras in question. However, not all ultras have ties to Italian mafia organizations. Instead, local police only deal with certain members of the groups.

If the two Italian teams cannot prove that they have cut ties with the alleged mafia members, authorities may choose to place the clubs under external control. The independent organizations would remain on site temporarily until the issue was resolved. According to the report, the Italian Football Federation has asked the police for help in this case.

Both Serie A clubs are owned by American conglomerates. Financial firm Oaktree Capital Management bought Inter in May. RedBird Capital Partners, on the other hand, acquired a majority stake in Milan two years earlier.

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