Today, the Italian antimafia forces arrested 18 leaders from the supporter groups of Milan AC and Inter Milan football clubs, two of the most famous football team in Italy and even Europe.

These Ultras (hardcore fans) ran mafia activities in the stadium, which is the same for both teams. They got a cut from the tickets sales, the parking, the food and drinks vendors and the memorabilia vendors. The head of the Milan ultras said he was making aroun 80k a month from the rackets.

In case of the Inter Milan ultras, they were closely associated with the Cosca San Fernandino of the N'Drangheta. For the Milan AC ultras, they were close to a famous italian hip hop artist who asked their help to buy a Milan nightclub. It's a good illustration of the extent of their power in the city.

Interestingly, despite being strong rivals; both group of ultras made a pact so they can each run and share the rackets in the same venue.

While the links between Italian ultras and OC is well documented, it's actually the first time such a large sweep happens and with a case built on mafia association.

In England some football firms also became involved in serious crime like the ICF.
I'm familiar with a group Dutch supporters of West Ham.

Not suprising; the Lucci's got involved in quite a few things previously and more than a few notable members of Curva Sud also had issues with the law (stabbings, beatings etc).

For all the good they do with choreos and atmosphere in the stadium, they also give the clubs a bad rep.

Apparently Curva Nord's leader called Inter's HC personally to request additional tickets for UCL final game a few years ago.

Feyenoord doesn't have Ultras thank god, but their casual/hooligan firms are notorious throughout Europe.

It's an exciting subculture though in my youth I had my share lol.

For a few years, when i was around 18/19, i had season tickets at Paris Saint Germain with some friends. We were in a part of the stadium that was controlled by far right militants with a few skinheads. I wasn't involved in it but i witnessed it and while I enjoyd the games it was not a great memory as there were racist chants, nazi salutes... I once brought a black friend to a game and we were told to sit in a specific part on the stand next to the security guy so we wouldn't be bothered. I could see some skinheads i knew looking bad at us but we were just kids and they didn't bothered. But i've seen a few times skinheads harassing black fans in the stand to the point that the security had to exfiltrate these fans and put them in another stand.

It was mostly political though, there wasn't any OC going on, probably some low level stuff like drugs.

It's mostly connected to drugs here and it was said motorcycle gangs such as the Hells Angels and Satudarah have/had ties with supporters of five professional football clubs in the Netherlands.

Italian police questioned Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi on Wednesday as part of a criminal investigation on links between the club's hardline "ultra" football 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.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_...s-inzaghi-gives-evidence-ultra-fan-probe

Andrea Berretta, the head of the Inter Milan Ultra, has decided to cooperate after it was discovered that the N'Drangheta plans to kill him.

He took part in the killing of one his fellow Ultra who was from the Bellochio family, a very powerful clan of the N'Drangheta.

Should be interesting as, for the first time, we should have a detailed account of the link between the Football Ultras and the Mafia.

Malavita, do you maybe know if the Ultra was Vittorio Boiocchi? The former leader of Curva Nord? If so, that's very interesting - if I'm not mistaken when Vittorio was killed, the whole Curva made left and they made every Inter fan in the stadium leave as well.

It was Antonio Bellochio. The guy's not only connected to the Bellochio clan, he is an actual Bellochio.

There's a CCTV of the killing in which Bellochio is being stabbed in a car by Berretta.