Juventus President Andrea Agnelli alleges the club were blackmailed by members of the ultras groups following arrests that took place yesterday.
ANSA reported yesterday that 12 members of various Juventus ultras groups had been arrested as part of a nationwide investigation into criminal conspiracy, blackmail, money laundering and violence.
Juventus worked closely with the authorities during the ongoing investigation and Agnelli confessed that the club had been held to ransom by the more hardcore element of the clubs fanbase:
“Juve have been forced to adhere to the requests of the ultras, aware of the possible negative consequences such as racist chants and other conduct likely to result in fines, bans or closure of the curva,” the patron told prosecutors in Turin.
In response, a banner was reportedly left by Juve’s ‘Drughi’ ultra group, proclaiming ‘The Curva Sud is dead’:
ANSA goes on to report that the Bianconeri’s match against Hellas Verona this weekend could be postponed due to tensions between the rival supporters. Speaking ahead of the game,Turin commissioner Giuseppe De Matteis warned:
“Saturday’s game was one that already caught our attention. They are two fan bases with different ideologies. Now the risks are increasing because reactions are predictable.”
[Translation from Football Italia]
