No one denies that Italy is a prominent footballing nation in Europe and the world. However, neither can one deny the appalling reality of this footballing landscape when it is manipulated by the mafia and plagued by corruption, match-fixing, bribery of football officials, and players for personal gain. These issues have led to a crisis of confidence among the tifosi.
Football stands as the most popular sport in Italy, boasting world-class teams valued in billions of USD, which attract fervent fans worldwide. Moreover, football shapes the collective identity of the nation, bonding people from the smallest villages to the largest cities together in their love for “the beautiful game.”
However, over the past decade, media investigations have uncovered deeply unethical practices within Italian football. The infiltration and manipulation by the mafia have become defining features of Italian football to the extent that misconduct, corruption, and criminal activities seem to have become the norm.
Supporters of one of Italy’s most successful football clubs, Juventus, have been repeatedly disappointed by a string of corruption allegations and club arrangements. In April 2019, the Italian Supreme Court ruled that the Juventus board had provided tickets to a group of ultras, coordinated under the control of members of the Calabrian mafia known as the Ndrangheta.
In a previous case concluded in October 2018, former Juventus player and 2006 World Cup champion Vincenzo Iaquinta was sentenced to two years in prison for firearm possession. He was also summoned in a larger trial related to the infiltration of the Ndrangheta clan in Northern Italy. His father was also sentenced to 19 years for mafia-related charges.
These scandals are not confined to a single club, as organized crime groups infiltrate all levels of sports. In 2018, football generated approximately 2.4 billion euros in Italy alone – much of it from fans, not to mention television deals, sponsorships, and advertising. Clearly, football is a multi-billion-dollar industry, making it an attractive target for criminal groups seeking to accumulate profits and launder dirty money.
However, mafia organizations are also governed by power, aiming to gain influence through threats or protection and ultimately rule through methods of violence or corruption. Criminal groups like the Ndrangheta syndicate utilize football as a platform to enhance their reputation and credibility through somewhat legitimate activities.
Some syndicates will intervene in youth football associations, for example by sponsoring young players, buying or establishing football teams, or even “rescuing” them if they encounter financial difficulties. A special committee of the Italian Parliament’s Anti-Mafia Commission uncovered these incidents throughout Italy in 2017.
Gangs may also leverage acquired leverage in the local environment to exploit business opportunities or achieve higher levels of power. In the case of Juventus, the sale of tickets to the club’s matches has provided syndicates with control over a lucrative market, as well as a means to enforce power over extremists, sometimes through violence.
Conversely, this enhances the reputation of syndicates by demonstrating their ability to exert influence and control over people and territories through the use of money and violence, if necessary.
Mafia groups also utilize networks and personal contacts to manipulate match results and profit from illegal betting networks. A high-profile case involving a Serie A footballer, Giuseppe Sculli – the grandson of a highly prominent Ndrangheta boss – demonstrated the mafia’s willingness to use players or referees to fix scores.
In Italian football, match-fixing occurs at an alarming rate. The Calciopoli scandal in 2004 ultimately led to Juventus being relegated to Serie B in 2006. In this case, it was alleged that players, referees, and club officials created a system of corruption and manipulation to favor the victories of certain teams, including in Serie A.
The faith of Italians in the fairness of football has significantly dwindled following the Calciopoli scandal. However, allegations of money laundering and fraud persist, particularly at the highest levels, as evidenced in the 2019 case involving former president of Palermo FC, Massimo Zamparini.
While the state of Italian football seems particularly bleak, corruption allegations in this sport are rampant worldwide. In October 2018, Belgian authorities indicted five individuals linked to a large-scale police investigation into financial fraud and match-fixing.
In May 2019, Spanish law enforcement arrested several players and executives of clubs in La Liga and the second division as part of an investigation into match-fixing. In June 2019, former UEFA president and Juventus star Michel Platini was arrested on suspicion of corruption regarding the decision to award Qatar the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup, even while he was under a four-year ban from football for accepting a “non-transparent payment.”
There is no doubt that restoring public trust in the fairness of football requires improvements in management systems, from local levels to the national stage. Therefore, it is encouraging that FIFA has reinstated its ethical regulations concerning corruption, after having neglected them in previous years.
It is imperative to enhance monitoring and transparency surrounding the substantial sums of money that this industry attracts. FIFA and national football federations must oversee team and player transfer transactions, regulate legitimate betting activities, and ensure accountability in sponsorship systems from the outset.
However, it is also crucial to acknowledge that football has always been a lucrative target for organized crime syndicates and “dirty” businessmen. To address this issue, FIFA needs to develop expertise and implement anti-corruption measures while maintaining oversight and discipline within football.
Football stadiums are places where various interests and diverse individuals converge. They serve as venues for business endeavors as well as entertainment and competition. Leadership in such domains demands integrity, dedication, and a commitment to serving the masses rather than enriching the few.