Threatened by Ultras

Mafia in Milan: ex-captain trembling with fear

Inter's ex-captain Milan Skriniar - pictured here before the 2023 Champions League final against Manchester City.

(Bild: APA/AFP)

The Milan public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into suspected criminal infiltration of the organized fans at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium - sportkrone.at reported. Further shocking details are now coming to light. For example, Inter's former captain Milan Skriniar is said to have been threatened by Ultras and trembled in fear on the pitch.

When rumors emerged in the 2022/23 season finale that the Slovakian wanted to move from Inter to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, he was put under pressure by the Ultras of the "Curva Nord" not to do so, or only if he extended his contract beforehand and thus enabled the Milanese to receive a transfer fee. This was reported by several Italian media outlets.

Milan Skriniar

(Bild: AFP)

Skriniar even met with the leaders of the "Curva Nord" to discuss the issue. However, the defender was not only made to understand personally that he should not leave the club on a free transfer. Pressure was also built up publicly by displaying a large banner in the fan curve: "Skriniar, you are our captain. You are the boss of Milan. Stay with us!"

According to teammates, Skriniar stood in front of the Ultras after matches, trembling with fear and applauding, in the weeks after the rumors of a transfer to Paris emerged. In the end, the Slovakian nevertheless moved to PSG on a free transfer in July 2023.

Javier Zanetti (l.) with the Pope

(Bild: AP)

Zanetti is said to have leaked information to Ultras
According to media reports, Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti is also said to play a role in the mafia investigations. The Argentinian is said to have maintained close contact with the Ultras and warned them that they were being monitored by the police.

On Monday, 16 people were remanded in custody and three others were placed under house arrest. "A legal earthquake shakes Inter and Milan", wrote the Italian news agency Ansa, for example. The investigations so far have shown a clear situation of dependency between the Inter club and the representatives of the "Curva Nord". The leaders of the north curve are accused of "mafia-like behavior", and a leading member of the Ultras was among those arrested on Monday.

The Meazza stadium in Milan

(Bild: Christof Bierbaumer)

Investigations are also being carried out into blackmail, false statements, the production of forged documents, unauthorized access to computer systems, resistance to public authority, assault and brawls. The investigation is reportedly pursuing several lines of inquiry that began in 2018.

"Greed for blood and profits"
The wiretap logs show a real "greed for blood and profits", writes Ansa. This led to agreements and pressure on the clubs, in particular to control the resale of tickets at inflated prices in the fan stands. These deals were also shared with the Calabrian mafia Ndrangheta.

The two Milan clubs immediately agreed to cooperate with the investigators and provide any documentation and information requested. However, the picture that emerges from the extensive and detailed investigation by the Milan public prosecutor's office is "worrying", notes Ansa.

There are major "organizational deficiencies" at Inter in the management of relations with the fan community, Ansa quotes the documents from the public prosecutor's office. The Ultras had succeeded in "penetrating every activity" related to the San Siro stadium. This had been transformed into "free territory" without any legal control. The lack of countermeasures against the numerous violent clashes has created ideal conditions for the control of almost all economic activities in the stadium.