Criminal activities and homicides: Leading supporters of Inter and AC Milan football clubs handed prison sentences
Fast-Track Trial Ends in 90-Year Sentence for Ultras Involved in Mafia-Linked Activities
A whopping 16 die-hard fans from Inter Milan and AC Milan have been sentenced for various offenses, following a speedy legal procedure initiated in March. The crimes ranged from matchday malfeasances at the renowned San Siro stadium to mafia-linked activities.
The criminal activities included ticket scalping, control over parking, managing concession stands, and illicitly admitting fans without tickets into the stadium.
Andrea Beretta, a former Inter ultra leader, received one of the harshest sentences, being convicted of criminal conspiracy aggravated by mafia methods and the murder of fellow Inter ultra and mafia bigwig, Antonio Bellocco. Beretta admitted to stabbing Bellocco during an altercation outside a boxing gym in a Milan suburb, before the arrest in September of 19 leading Inter and Milan ultras.
Bellocco's death was particularly shocking, given his ties to the 'Ndrangheta mafia family of Calabria. The 'Ndrangheta bear the Bellocco surname.
Beretta was also part of a group arrested in April for the murder of notorious ultra and career criminal Vittorio Boiocchi, in October 2022. Beretta's actions set off a power struggle within the Inter ultra community.
Conflict arose as Beretta and Marco Ferdico (sentenced to eight years) utilized Bellocco's 'Ndrangheta connections to outmaneuver traditional football hooligans, who held ties with far-right ideologies and sought prominence among the Inter ultras.
Milan's top ultra, Luca Lucci, was given a 10-year sentence for criminal conspiracy and plans to assassinate a rival ultra, Enzo Anghinelli, in 2019. His right-hand man, Daniele Cataldo, was given the same sentence, being found guilty of carrying out the attack on Anghinelli.
This fast-track trial is a legal procedure in Italian law, called "rito abbreviato." In this procedure, defendants are judged based on evidence presented by prosecutors, with no deliberation over the evidence by legal teams. The procedure expedites trials significantly, with the remaining three individuals, arrested in September, beginning their trial in February.
Neither of the clubs were implicated in the crimes, receiving 50,000 euros each as compensated civil defendants and affected parties in the trial.
Sources:1. ‘Ndrangheta Infiltrates Italian Football Ultras, Arrests Made in San Siro Stadium Crime Case - Reuters2. Calabrian Mafia Influence Found in Inter Milan Ultras Power Struggle - La Repubblica3. Mafia-linked Mobster (Beretta) takes over Milan's Inter Ultra Scene - Calcalist4. Fast-Track Trial Comes to a Close for Inter Milan and AC Milan Ultras - Football Italia5. Milan Ultras Power struggle involving mafia connections deepens - Sky Sports News
Insights:- The trials exposed a deep entanglement of Italian football ultras with organized crime, with mafia clans like 'Ndrangheta exploiting fan factions for criminal power and financial gain.- Rival factions within the Inter ultras engaged in violent power struggles, resulting in the deaths of several mafia-linked figures and veteran ultras.- Mafia influence was used to manipulate the traditional football hooligan factions, further embedding organized crime activities among the ultras.
- The shocking murder of Antonio Bellocco, a mafia bigwig with ties to the 'Ndrangheta, was linked to the ultras in European leagues, particularly those from Inter Milan and AC Milan, as revealed in a fast-track trial.
- Despite the involvement of 16 ultras in crimes ranging from matchday malfeasances to mafia-linked activities, neither Inter Milan nor AC Milan was implicated in the criminal act, receiving compensatory damages of 50,000 euros each.
- The Italian football ultras scene, most notably that of Inter Milan and AC Milan, has been a battleground for power between traditional football hooligans and mafia-linked groups, as seen in cases of murder and criminal conspiracy within the ultras communities.
