Fabrizio Corona, a gossip columnist known for his involvement in a Serie A betting scandal, has been convicted of defamation due to a false narrative that negatively impacted Mauro Icardi’s tenure at Inter.
Corona’s legal issues are not unprecedented, having served time in prison for attempting to extort clubs and players by threatening to reveal compromising photographs.
In February 2019, Corona made unsubstantiated claims on his website, King Corona Magazine, alleging an extramarital affair between Wanda Nara, Icardi’s wife, and Marcelo Brozovic, his Inter teammate at the time.
Social media also circulated an evidently fabricated audio recording purportedly featuring Nara and Brozovic together.
In 2022, Nara appeared in court, attributing the fabricated story to the deterioration of Icardi’s relationship with Inter, ultimately leading to his transfer to PSG in the summer of 2019.
“Mauro was forced to change team, Inter told him he had to get a new agent, that he could no longer continue with his wife as his agent,” she said.
Today, Corona was convicted of defamation and was ordered to pay a €1,500 fine. Additionally, he was instructed to compensate €7,500 each to Icardi and Wanda, while Brozovic was awarded €5,000 in damages.
The legal proceedings continue, with Wanda Nara and Mauro Icardi (currently playing for Galatasaray) pursuing civil action against Corona.
Corona is appealing the verdict, contending that he was merely reporting on an existing story and thus unable to verify its source.
Moreover, the individuals implicated by Corona in the betting scandal were already under investigation by FIGC, while others mentioned were cleared of wrongdoing and are pursuing legal recourse against him.