The Inter ultras movement has been stunned by the shocking murder of one of their leading figures, seemingly at the hands of one of his friends and colleagues.
The ultras are the hard-line fans who stand in the Curva Nord of San Siro and have a lot of sway with the club and players.
According to news agency Ansa, in the early hours of this morning Andrea Beretta killed Antonio Bellocco with a knife slash to the throat.
The pair had been friends and played five-a-side football together last night with some Milan supporters, but the evening out later descended into a deadly brawl.
Inter ultras shocked by fatal fight
It is reported that Bellocco had shot Beretta in the leg from close range when they were seated inside a car, prompting him to respond with a fatal knife to the throat.
Bellocco was 36 years old and had spent time in prison, having connections to the ‘Ndrangheta organised crime in Calabria.
Beretta is a 49-year-old from Milan who has been part of the Inter Curva Nord for many years.
It is hardly the first time that the Inter ultras have been beset by violence, as in 2022 there was controversy when the group forced regular fans out of their seats during a match in order to pay ‘tribute’ to one of their leaders who had been shot in a drug-related incident.
This latest incident could prompt further police investigation into criminal ties within the ultras movement, not just for Inter, but many other Italian clubs too.