Hardcore supporters of AC Milan and Inter Milan were arrested on Monday for alleged organised crime offences as part of a probe into illegal profits made around matches and the infiltration of mafia gangs into so-called "ultras" groups.
Italy's finance police said leading figures among the "ultras" groups were arrested for "criminal conspiracy aggravated by mafia methods, extortion, assault and other serious crimes".
"The suspects are almost all members of the Milan teams' ultras groups while the crimes relate to revenues made around football," finance police said in a statement.
In total 19 people were arrested, including the two heads of the Inter and Milan ultras, Renato Bosetti and Luca Lucci, following a long investigation which included two years of wiretaps.
The alleged crimes involve activities around the San Siro stadium on matchdays, from ticket touting to control of parking, sales from concession stands and taking payment from people without tickets and letting them into the stadium.
Bosetti's predecessors as leaders of the Inter ultras, Marco Ferdico and Andrea Beretta, were accused of allowing the Bellocco clan of the powerful 'Ndrangheta mafia to be "represented within the stands by a person already convicted for mafia-related crimes", Milan prosecutor Marcello Viola said.
That representative was Antonio Bellocco, who magistrate Domenico Santoro said was the only serious mafioso among those being investigated and who was killed by Beretta earlier this month.
Beretta, who himself has a long criminal record, stabbed Bellocco to death during an altercation outside a boxing gym in a Milan suburb reportedly after he realised his life was in danger.
Bellocco's death was a shock because of his status within the 'Ndrangheta, which led to Beretta's family being placed under special surveillance by the police over fears of violent reprisals.
Beretta took a leading role in the Curva Nord section of the San Siro, where Inter's hardcore fans stand, after career criminal Vittorio Boiocchi was shot dead outside his home in October 2022.
Italian media widely reported at the time of his murder aged 69, that Boiocchi had bragged in wiretapped conversations about earning 80,000 euros ($88,000) a month through his position as ultra leader.
However Viola did not specify how much money the two teams' ultras were making from their activities.
Asked by AFP at a press conference on Monday, Viola only highlighted one unnamed businessman who ran a car park and was being extorted for 4,000 euros a month.
Milan's ultras are not accused of mafia-related offences, Viola added, "even though there were a series of attempts, which never resulted in any agreements, with people close to organised crime".
Police said that there are no drug offences in the charging documents, although several of those arrested, including Lucci, have previous convictions for dealing in narcotics.
However, leading Milan ultras, who have also moved into work as bodyguards, are also accused of extorting nightclubs in Sardinia.
Viola told reporters that neither Inter nor Milan, nor anyone from the two clubs' management, are being probed by authorities who consider the two clubs to have been damaged by the alleged criminal conduct of those arrested.
"It would be wrong to say that all ultras are criminals, but it's clear for everyone to see that a significant part of the ultras scene is involved in criminal activity," said Giovanni Melillo, the head of Italy's anti-mafia and anti-terrorism authority.
Inter face Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League at the San Siro on Tuesday night, a match from which the Serbian club's fans have been banned from attending for fear of violence.
Coach Simone Inzaghi told reporters in Monday's pre-match press conference that "the club has told us to say nothing as an investigation is ongoing".
Santoro said that Inzaghi had been contacted by Ferdico, with widespread reporting of wiretaps saying that the latter applied pressure on the former Italy forward to ask the club for more tickets for the 2023 Champions League final, which Inter lost to Manchester City.
Clashes between fans have already marred several matches involving clubs in Italy's top division Serie A, with serious disorder between Genoa and Sampdoria fans before and after their local derby in the Italian Cup last week.
Genoa were forced to face Juventus behind closed doors on Saturday following the local derby violence which left dozens of fans and police injured, while Samp's fans were barred from travelling to their 3-1 Serie B win at Modena.
