September 04, (THEWILL) – A violent confrontation between two hardcore fans of the Italian football club, Inter Milan, has resulted in the death of one individual. Andrea Beretta, the head of the “curva nord” (north end) ultras group, allegedly stabbed fellow Inter supporter, Antonio Bellocco, on Wednesday morning, in what he claims was self-defence.
The incident occurred as the two men were travelling together in a car outside a sports centre in the Milan suburb of Cernusco sul Naviglio. According to Beretta’s lawyer, Mirko Perlino, Bellocco had shot Beretta in the leg with a firearm, prompting Beretta to fatally stab him in the throat.
The 36-year-old Bellocco is reported to be the heir of a powerful ‘Ndrangheta crime family from Calabria and had a history of organised crime activities. Beretta, who is 49, has also been convicted multiple times for violence and drug dealing offences, and took over leadership of the Inter ultras group after the assassination of their previous leader, Vittorio Boiocchi, in October 2022.
The case has been assigned to prosecutor Paolo Storari, who specialises in organised crime investigations. Storari has previously led inquiries into Boiocchi’s murder and the mafia’s infiltration of hardcore Italian football supporter groups.
Beretta is currently in hospital and will be questioned by the prosecutor later on Wednesday evening. The incident has once again highlighted the deep-rooted issues of violence and criminal activity within the hardcore fan culture surrounding Italian football clubs.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
