Napoli are being investigated to establish whether tickets were unknowingly given to members of the Camorra mafia.
Juventus President Andrea Agnelli has already been sanctioned for illegally selling tickets, some of which were then re-sold by the ‘Ndrangheta.
While the judgement concluded that the Bianconeri chief didn’t know about the links to the mafia, he was nevertheless given a ban, which he is appealing.
Napoli are being investigated to establish whether tickets were unknowingly given to members of the Camorra mafia.
Juventus President Andrea Agnelli has already been sanctioned for illegally selling tickets, some of which were then re-sold by the ‘Ndrangheta.
While the judgement concluded that the Bianconeri chief didn’t know about the links to the mafia, he was nevertheless given a ban, which he is appealing.
Today’s Gazzetta dello Sport reports that there is a similar investigation underway with Napoli, and it includes some of the players.
It’s believed that prosecutors have found images of a number of Partenopei players spending time with men who are believed to be involved with the Camorra.
Players have been pictured with the Esposito brothers, who were arrested last summer on money laundering charges, as well as Ettore Bosti of the Contini clan.
No charges will be brought against the players, who could have no way of knowing the connections of the men involved, but prosecutors want to establish if anyone linked to the Camorra was given tickets by either the players or the club.
“The investigation is the same as the one into Juventus, but it was conducted by the Neapolitan prosecutor,” Marco di Lello of the anti-mafia commission explained on Radio Crc.
“To date 34 hearings have been held and the picture that’s emerging is quite disturbing. We’re defining our regulatory proposal to prevent incidents of this kind in the future.
“With regard to Napoli, we heard from [President Aurelio] De Laurentiis, [marketing manager Alessandro] Formisano and what has emerged from the prosecutor’s investigation is that the club has never yielded to external pressures.
“We know that events regarding the players have to be seen from a different point of view. Some of their acquaintances, like those of Pocho Lavezzi, are euphemisms which must be defined quickly.
“Formisano explained that they try to limit these things, the club warns in the dressing room that there’s certain behaviour to be taken.
“For those coming from outside, it can be hard to distinguish between good and bad people. That’s the aspect that worries us most.
“There’s no criminal relevance for the players, and I’d be surprised if there was any criminal involvement from the club.
“We’ll see what happens, if the accusation were to be confirmed then article 12 prohibits associations with organised groups.
“If that happens it would go before the sporting court. The prosecutor’s investigation is another thing.
“In the abstract it is possible to punish the team, but only in the case of repeated behaviour. That’s a hypothesis which is very much at the limit though.”