MILAN (Reuters) – Italian police questioned Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi on Wednesday as part of a criminal investigation on links between the club’s hardline “ultra” soccer fans and organised crime groups, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Inzaghi is not under investigation and police questioned him as a witness, the sources said.
Last week Italian police 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, Europe’s top mafia group originating from the southern Calabria region.
In a 568-page arrest warrant, prosecutors gave details of how senior Inter ultra Marco Ferdico telephoned Inzaghi shortly before the 2023 Champions League final to ask him to lobby club directors to allocate more tickets to the fan group.
Prosecutors said the two teams are offended parties in the case but 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.
Inter Milan had no comment on Wednesday. The club chairman Giuseppe Marotta said the club was cooperating with authorities.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi and Elvira Pollina, writing by Keith Weir, editing by Alvise Armellini and Christian Radnedge)
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