ROME: Italian police on Monday arrested 12 leading Juventus hard-line fans as part of a major investigation into violence and extortion linked to match ticket sales.
The suspects are accused of criminal association, aggravated extortion, money laundering and violence, police said.
The arrests were the culmination of a year-long probe centered on the alleged blackmail of ticketing officials by the “ultras,” who wanted cut-price blocks of tickets they could sell to fellow fans.
They reportedly began threatening to sing racist chants during matches — which would lead to the club being hit with fines and possibly having points deducted — after Juventus stopped distributing blocks of tickets for resale in 2017, Italian media said.
Police said the hardcore groups had set up a “widespread criminal strategy to ‘restore’ lost favors.”
Those arrested included the heads of the Drughi, Tradizione-Antichi Valori, Viking, Nucleo 1985 and Quelli ... di via Filadelfia groups, police said in a statement.
Officers were carrying out 39 search warrants targeting those arrested and other suspects, with the help of police from cities across northern and central Italy, from Alessandria to Bergamo, Florence, Genoa and Milan.
Italy arrests leaders of Juventus hard-line ultra fans
Italy arrests leaders of Juventus hard-line ultra fans
- Arrests were the culmination of a year-long probe centered on the alleged blackmail of ticketing officials
Cristiano Ronaldo buys stake in Saudi-owned second-tier Spanish club
- Brunswick Group says in a statement on Thursday that Ronaldo has bought a 25 percent share of the club that has a Saudi Arabian owner
ALMERIA: Cristiano Ronaldo has purchased a stake in Spanish second-division club Almeria, a consulting firm representing the Portuguese soccer star said on Thursday.
Brunswick Group said in a statement that Ronaldo bought a 25 percent share of the club that has a Saudi Arabian owner.
“It has been a long-time ambition of mine to contribute to football, beyond the pitch. UD Almería is a Spanish club with strong foundations and clear potential for growth,” Ronaldo said in the statement.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner bought the stake in Almeria through his CR7 Sports Investments subsidiary, according to Brunswick Group.
Almeria has been under control of Saudi Arabian owners for over six years. Mohamed Al-Khereiji became the new owner and president of the club at in the summer of 2025 when he bought it from Turki Al Alsheikh.
“We are very pleased that Cristiano has chosen our club to invest in,” Al-Khereiji said in the statement. “He knows the Spanish leagues very well and he understands the potential of what we are building here both in terms of the team and the academy.”
The financial details were not disclosed.
Almeria did not immediately respond to an email request by the Associated Press asking for more details on the deal.
Almeria is currently in third place in Spain’s second division. It was most recently in the first division in 2023-24.
