Casalesi Mob Tries To Buy Lazio; Former NASL Star Giorgio Chinaglia Arrested.

We often joke about how everything in Italian soccer is fixed, and how the mob is usually in on everything, and yadda yadda yadda. It gets a bit old, right? That is, until the mob actually tries to purchase an Italian soccer team in order to launder some of their hard-earned stolen cash. Can you imagine the consequences of losing a few games in a row with that team? Bang! Bang! is correct.

A notorious Italian organised crime gang tried to buy soccer club Lazio through third parties using funds gained from violence and intimidation, authorities said on Tuesday.

Does this surprise you one bit? And who else was involved in the purchase?

The plan by the Casalesi clan of the Camorra, the Naples version of the mafia, came to light as police in Rome served arrest warrants to 10 people including former Lazio player and president Giorgio Chinaglia. In 2006 Lazio president Claudio Lotito was given police protection after receiving threats from 'ultra' fans who were allegedly trying to intimidate him into selling to a consortium led by Chinaglia.

That's former NASL thug Giorgio Chinaglia. Basically, he's a real life version of Tony Soprano if Tony were a former soccer player turned shady business man. As a matter of fact, we're going into hiding after this here post is published. Organised crime gang tried to buy Lazio [ESPN Soccernet]