Mafia attacks the family of Genaro Gatuso

The famous footballer and his closest relatives went through a nightmare. According to local media reports, Gattuso was harassed and received threats, to the point where he paid money to the ‘Ndrangheta’ mafia for protection. For weeks and months, his family was under threat from the Calabrian mafia, with the goal of extorting bribes for the construction of solar panel systems on land owned by the ex-footballer’s father and sister, for which Gattuso’s father received 80,000 euros.

The outcome of these threats led to the arrest of two individuals, but not before causing great distress in the lives of Gattuso’s closest relatives. Allegedly, on October 17th and December 15th, the cars of Gattuso’s sister, Ida Gattuso, were set on fire in an attempt for criminals to extort 3,000 euros from her and her father. She reported the incident to the authorities, and the media began to cover the case after it became public at the end of last week.

‘Ndrangheta is a criminal organization based in Calabria, which became very influential and powerful at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. According to American diplomatic sources, it was estimated that through drug trafficking and similar criminal activities, ‘Ndrangheta accounted for at least 3% of Italy’s gross domestic product in 2022. Gennaro Ivan Gattuso was born in Calabria in 1978, rose through the ranks in Perugia, played for Glasgow Rangers and Salernitana, then became a legend at AC Milan, where he played from 1999 to 2012.

He finished his illustrious career at Sion in 2012, where he also became a player-coach. He later served as a head coach at Palermo, OFI Crete, Pisa, AC Milan’s youth team, AC Milan’s senior team, Napoli, Valencia, and since last year, at Olympique Marseille. For the Italian national team, he played for a full 10 years, making 73 appearances, winning a World Cup and scoring a goal.

He also achieved great success with Milan, being a vital part of Carlo Ancelotti’s team. With the Rossoneri, he won the UEFA Champions League and Serie A title twice, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup in 2007. The text describes the challenges faced by the famous footballer Gennaro Gattuso and his family, including threats from the mafia and extortion attempts.

It also provides a brief overview of Gattuso’s football career from his early days to his coaching roles.