Furious Sampdoria supporters congregated in protest outside the Gallia hotel in Milan on Friday morning, where the Lega Calcio had been holding an assembly, attended by representatives from all Serie A sides.
The Blucerchiati fans were furious over the league’s decision to send a letter to Sampdoria, asking for the club to take action against its supporters after a spate of recent demonstrations at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
For some time now, tensions between the supporters and the club’s owner Massimo Ferrero have been growing increasingly toxic, and the fans have looked to draw attention to the situation wherever possible.
During the 1-1 home draw with Spezia at the end of April, play was suspended for seven minutes after flares were thrown onto the pitch from the stands in an attempt to raise awareness of what has been going on at the club.
In the most recent home game against Torino, coach Dejan Stankovic and his players were called over to cheer with the Samp supporters behind the goal, before ultras revealed a banner, targeted at Ferrero, which read “hands off Sampdoria.”
However, fans have become fed up that no action has been taken against the club’s controversial owner and that the league, instead, has advised the club to sanction a number of its supporters.
Around 30 supporters showed up to the protest in Milan with banners and pyrotechnics and made their presence heard through loud chanting, which lasted for around an hour according to Calciomercato.
The group set up camp outside the hotel’s entrance with their banner, which read: “And what about Ferrero? Nothing to say?”
The protesting supporters also came armed with wads of fake banknotes, which at one point, were launched in the direction of Lazio President Claudio Lotito as he made his way towards the hotel.