Italian football has seen its share of controversy over the years.
Corruption investigations that have rattled the foundations of the game in one of its most historic leagues.
But what has emerged from Milan in the last 48 hours belongs in a different category entirely.
Serie A rocked as luxury escort network dismantled with over 50 players named as clients
According to Gazzetta.it, the Guardia di Finanza in Milan has dismantled a criminal organisation that operated under the cover of an event promotion company, offering an exclusive “all-inclusive” service to wealthy clients.
This was a service that included evenings at the city’s most exclusive venues, luxury hotel accommodation, and escort services.
Four people have been placed under house arrest.
The charges are serious.
Inciting and exploiting prostitution, alongside money laundering of the proceeds generated by the illegal operation.
And the client list, according to investigators, is particularly shocking.
Over 50 individuals have been identified as customers of the network.
Among them are a “considerable” number of Serie A footballers; players from clubs across Italy, not just those based in Lombardy, but also those travelling to Milan for away fixtures.
Clients were paying thousands of euros per evening for what investigators describe as an “after-match service.”
This was a night out followed by sexual services provided by escorts, some of whom were as young as eighteen.
Investigators also found evidence that laughing gas, a substance that leaves no trace in the body and passes undetected in anti-doping controls, was being used at these gatherings.
The financial scale of the operation was significant too.
The investigation covers a period running from 2024 through to earlier this year.
And with the court order only partially revealing the identities of the high-profile clients involved, the expectation is that more names will emerge as proceedings continue.
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