Massimiliano Allegri Money Laundering Allegations
Juventus manager Allegri is suspected of using a Maltese business to facilitate money laundering, as well as potential ties to the mafia. Having just been appointed Juventus manager after the sacking of club legend Andrea Pirlo, Italian Police are investigating his recent transactions to Maltese casinos. One of the most coveted football coaches in the world now faces an international police enquiry in the build-up to the new season.
Massimiliano Allegri, one of Europe’s top managers, is now under investigation by Italian Police for potential money laundering incidents relating to Maltese and Slovenian casino companies. ©StockSnap/Pixabay
Reports from various news outlets suggest that Allegri spent over $400,000 in three separate foreign casinos. These transactions were immediately flagged by a bank and deemed to be suspicious by official regulators. The money transfers in question have taken place from November 2019 and April 2021, leading investigators to believe connections to illegal tradesman/mafia are possible.
His bank flagged the first payment in 2019; however, there was insufficient reason to alert authorities at this time. As these transactions built up over 2-3 years, Banca Intermobiliare alerted national regulators to inform them of suspicious payments from Allegri’s account. The Maltese company supposedly involved is under investigation for previous occurrences related to fraud and tax evasion.
The company in question is called Oia Service Ltd, a Maltese business with supposed ties to the local mafia named Ndrangheta. It’s unknown whether Massimiliano Allegri has any connections to crime syndicates; given his current position in the world of football, the proposition seems highly unlikely. Allegri’s agent, Giovanni Branchini, spoke to Italian Media, calling the allegations ridiculous.
An infamous Italian entrepreneur named Antonio Ricci was previously affiliated with Oia Service Ltd. After an extensive investigation by Italian and Maltese authorities, he was arrested on several fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion cases. Over $400million worth of his personal assets were seized, and he is currently serving a life sentence in an Italian prison for his crimes.
How Will The Investigation Affect Allegri?
Massimiliano Allegri is a busy man in the world of football. Despite only managing Italian sides thus far, he’s wanted by European clubs every year because of his defensive mindset and his profile as a serial winner. Some of Europe’s top teams, including Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, have made inquiries into his availability in the last decade. He is the only coach in Europe’s top five leagues to have won the domestic double four seasons in a row.
He is now back at Juventus, a surprise to many fans as he left for the first time in 2019. Since then, he has taken a break from management and is now ready for his second crack at Juventus, to replace the disappointing reign of Andrea Pirlo. One of his most infamous outings was during his time at AC Milan, when they beat Arsenal 4-0 in the 2012 Champions League.
It seems most of these transactions took place during Allegri’s off-season; he wasn’t in a managerial position during the supposed bracket of payments, lasting from November 2019 to April 2021. He allegedly received at least seven individual settlements from a Slovenian company called Nova Gorica. They specialize in casino and hotel management in their home country.
This money that he then used in Maltese casinos raises questions over how he obtained this money and the legality of the payments. During a recent press conference, Allegri dismissed the allegations calling them flat out lies and instead pressed journalists to focus on the football ahead of them. As tight-lipped as ever, Allegri has never been one to entertain in interviews.
Malta’s Infamous Mafia
Plenty of scandals has erupted in the Mediterranean Island of Malta. The previously mentioned Ndrangheta are an infamous gang that’s been active for over half a century. The crime syndicate oversaw a $600million tax evasion operation, which Italian Police thwarted after a raid on several of the gang’s headquarters.
Alongside the Italian mafia, they have orchestrated several match-fixing scandals, both domestically and internationally. The infamous 2006 Calciopoli incident involved a huge corruption network, reaching the players, management, and match officials. It caused massive shockwaves in Italian sport and government, and since then, penalties for fixing games has increased in severity to deter clubs from ever attempting it again.
