FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Inter Milan v Torino - San Siro, Milan, Italy - April 28, 2024 Inter Milan team bus arrives outside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Massimo Pinca/File Photo
MILAN (Reuters) - Italian police have arrested 19 high-profile "ultra" soccer fans tied to Inter Milan and AC Milan, many of whom are suspected of having links with the 'Ndrangheta mafia, prosecutors said on Monday.
The case revealed how fan clubs have been transformed into crime gangs, running ticket scams and protection rackets on drink stands 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 mafia influence in the stadiums," National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Chief Prosecutor Giovanni Melillo told a news conference in Milan.
Prosecutors and police said the suspects, including the heads of the respective ultra groups, had challenged officials and players of both clubs to pressure them to hand over large quantities of tickets for re-sale.
"Inter Milan and AC Milan are (the) damaged parties, victims," said Milan chief prosecutor Marcello Viola. 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 a leader of the Inter ultras, Andrea Beretta, was arrested for the murder of Antonio Bellocco, a top figure in the Calabrian Bellocco 'Ndrangheta mob syndicate.
Police said Inter fans had been doing business with the mafia group, adding that Beretta had killed Bellocco because of a financial disagreement. Beretta has denied the murder charge, saying he had acted in self defence.
Inter Milan and AC Milan are ferocious sporting rivals, but their respective ultra clubs had signed a non-belligerence pact to maximize their illicit profits, police and prosecutors said.
Police said soccer fans had to change their mindset.
"If there is not a 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 had to review their dealings with the fans, saying modifications of their business structure were needed to prevent a recurrence of the alleged criminal infiltration.
"Soccer is a business activity, and criminal organisations are interested in all business activities. Unfortunately, we have seen that there are no complaints from the entrepreneurs who are the victims," said Antonio Quintavalle, a general in the finance police.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi, additional reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by Crispian Balmer and Christian Radnedge)
