A shocking investigation tears the veil off the dark side of Foggia football. Extortion, threats, bombs and gunshots: all with one goal, to push the president of Foggia Calcio 1920, Nicola Canonico, to sell the club under blackmail. Four members of the ultras fringe ended up in prison at dawn on Monday, accused of attempted extortion aggravated by mafia methods. The investigation was conducted by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate, which led to an unprecedented measure: Foggia Calcio 1920 is the first sports club in Italy to be placed under judicial administration based on article 34 of the Anti-Mafia Code, to remove it from the influence of the clans of the 'Società foggiana'.
The Bari court, on the joint proposal of the National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor, the District Attorney and the Police Chief of Foggia, ordered the sports club to be placed under special administration after having ascertained serious criminal infiltration. Marco Lombardi, Danilo Mustaccioli, Massimiliano Russo and Fabio Delli Carri ended up in handcuffs, central figures in an orchestrated plan to destabilize the sports club through a systematic campaign of violence, threats and intimidation.
The investigation, which began in June 2023 after shots were fired at then-captain Davide Di Pasquale, revealed a disturbing picture: a network of ultras groups, directly linked to local organized crime, was working to gain control of stadium accreditation, sponsorships, and even internal hiring within the team. An explosive device was placed near the car of owner Canonico , parked in front of his company headquarters in Modugno; shortly thereafter, the car of another player, Alessandro Garattoni, was set on fire in the parking lot below his home.
Making the mafia strategy even more evident was the discovery of a handwritten sheet containing, in encrypted form, the list of targets to hit. The goal was clear: to push the owners to give up everything by any means. And once again, football and the city paid the consequences, ending up in yet another nightmare of corruption and intimidation. To complete the picture, 52 Daspos were notified to individuals already known for mafia and drug crimes, residents in the province of Foggia and involved, directly or indirectly, in the criminal system that had also got its hands on football.
Chronicles of Campania
Camorra and Juve Stabia: The story of two clans' informants
The Naples DDDA investigation into the D'Alessandro clan's influence in the management of the Juve Stabia football team, which...
It is a very bad fact what happened to Foggia Calcio 1920, I am very sorry for the president Canonico and the team. Violence must not have a place in football, I hope that the authorities take serious measures to stop this situation.