Vittorio Boiocchi, one of the historic leaders of Inter‘s ultras who was killed on Saturday in an ambush, allegedly blackmailed a club director when Ashley Young joined the Nerazzurri in January 2020.
Boiocchi was shot dead in an ambush outside his house in the outskirts of Milan on Saturday night while Inter were playing against Sampdoria in Serie A.
The 69-year-old had a very long rap sheet of previous criminal activities, spending 26 years of his life in prison for among other things drug trafficking, theft and kidnap.
Today’s edition of Il Corriere Della Sera reports Boiocchi blackmailed and threatened an Inter director when Young joined the Nerazzurri in January 2020.
The club’s executive had not informed the ultras’ leader about the imminent signing, preventing his group from welcoming the England international at the airport upon his arrival from Manchester United.
“We are going to change tactics now, we’ll take things by force and see what happens,” a furious Boiocchi allegedly said during a phone call with an Inter director at that time, according to Il Corriere.
Italian authorities had been looking into the rapport between the Nerazzurri and their ultras group for a long time, suspecting that the Serie A giants could have collaborated with the groups by offering them free tickets or the chance to sell the club’s merchandise.
However, Milan Prosecutor Leonardo Lesti asked to discontinue the investigation involving four Inter directors in 2021, saying they were ‘victims of the threatening and extortionary behaviour of the ultras’ leaders.’
One of the Inter directors allegedly told authorities that he suffered the ‘psychological pressure of Boiocchi’ fearing ‘offensive chanting or coin throwing’ during Inter’s games, which would have led to sanctions for the club.
Another reason to stop watching, following, loving football.
These parasites need to be purged from the club and fandom. They’re no fans of the club or sport
This is why I can’t take my son to see the club he supports. I’ll wait till they come to London for a friendly.
@AP
There are plenty of sections that are safe to bring children to at the stadium so blaming the ultras is a cop out, I have a season ticket and see kids safely going to every match. Kids shouldn’t be brought into the curva but any other section is perfectly safe.
Inter staff have to business discussing football issues with hooligans!
Inter staff have no business discussing football issues with hooligans!
Yet no bans on the ultras have occurred
@mohammed I think they’re afraid if they ban them they’ll get threats. Lol Not doing anything means they approve behaviours like that.
It really has been years of this crap. The English were forced to ban hooligans, and it worked. Here we are 20 years on and can’t figure it out. Inter are in no way isolated here, time to change was long ago.