Italian third-tier club Crotone have been placed under judicial administration for a year after prosecutors found “sufficient evidence” of pervasive mafia infiltration. The club, based in the southern Calabria region, home to the powerful ’Ndrangheta mafia, will continue sporting activities under court-appointed supervisors.
Prosecutors in Catanzaro stated that Crotone had been “subjected, over the last decade, directly or at least indirectly, to conditions of intimidation and subjugation by members of local ’Ndrangheta clans”. The mob had particularly infiltrated the club’s security and ticketing operations.
The club is not under investigation and released a statement saying it would “actively collaborate with the judicial administrators appointed by the court to continue its activities in the best interests of the club, fans and sport in general”. It added that the decision “does not even remotely suggest complicity or connivance by the club, its shareholders, or its managers and collaborators”.
Crotone currently sit seventh in Serie C Group C with five points from four games. They played in Serie A for two consecutive seasons almost a decade ago and most recently in 2020-21. The judicial administration regime is expected to help steer the club’s economic activities back onto a legal path.
