“Let the players think about how to play football on the pitch — the Camorra will take care of everything else.”
According to police wiretaps, these were the words of one of the clan bosses, spoken from prison. The Italian Football Federation (Serie B) has postponed indefinitely the 10th-round match between Juve Stabia and Bari, which was originally scheduled for 29 October. The decision was made following an official request from the Ministry of the Interior, due to recent events linked to the club from Castellammare di Stabia, a town near Naples.
Recently, Juve Stabia was placed under external legal administration after the Naples Prosecutor’s Office revealed that organised crime had infiltrated the club’s management.
According to the investigation, the D’Alessandro clan, historically active in the Castellammare area, allegedly exerted strong — if not complete — control over several aspects of the club’s activities: security services, ticket sales, catering, cleaning, medical services, the youth academy, and even the rental of the team bus.
As stated on the official police website, there are also many elements connected to organised crime among Juve Stabia’s ultras.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a bloody feud broke out between clan leader Michele D’Alessandro (pictured, died in 2019) and a gang led by his former cashier, Umberto Mario Imparato, resulting in around 80 deaths.
Juve Stabia is already the third club in the last six months — after Foggia and Crotone — to be placed under court administration due to suspected links with the mafia.
In addition, at the stadium entrance, in the spectator screening area, a person linked to the clan was reportedly working alongside the stewards and security staff.
During a public event organised by the Castellammare di Stabia municipality on 29 May to celebrate the team’s promotion to Serie B, members of three ultras groups — some of whom were banned from stadiums and had criminal records — appeared on stage together with club officials, local authorities, and representatives of state institutions.
The D’Alessandro clan of the Camorra has been known since the 1960s. Their criminal record includes drug trafficking, control of prostitution, multiple murders — including of politicians and illegal parking attendants in Castellammare — as well as the organisation of illegal dog fights and underground betting.
After Michele’s death, the clan was led by Luigi D’Alessandro, who spent almost 30 years in prison. Just a few days ago, a third-generation member of the clan, Vincenzo Junior, Michele’s nephew, was arrested for attempted murder — he allegedly tried to shoot his rival and then finish him off with a baseball bat. The victim miraculously survived.
P.S.
Juve Stabia is already the third club in the last six months — after Foggia and Crotone — to be placed under court administration due to suspected links with the mafia.
Juve Stabia is already the third club in the last six months — after Foggia and Crotone — to be placed under court administration due to suspected links with the mafia.