A significant number of current and former Serie A players have been named in connection with a Milan escort investigation, though it is essential to stress from the outset that none of those mentioned are under investigation and that paying for sex is not a criminal offence in Italy.
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The case centres on an alleged organised network run by Emanuele Buttini and Deborah Ronchi, and has been reported by Il Giornale, via TuttoMercatoWeb.
The names of players emerged through wiretap intercepts in which escorts and their alleged associates were planning meetings.
In the official court documentation, most names were redacted for legal reasons, however, due to an administrative error, some names remained visible in the court order, including Torino’s Marcus Pedersen and Sassuolo’s Christian Volpato.
FLORENCE, ITALY – OCTOBER 08: Riccardo Calafiori of Italy in action during a Italy training session at Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano on October 08, 2024 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
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Formally named in the prosecutor’s request to the investigating judge are Cheickh Niasse of Verona and former Inter and Lazio player Dejan Stankovic, along with his son Filip.
The wider list, which according to Il Giornale runs to more than fifty footballers, emerged from a list of search keywords included in a search warrant executed last Monday, used to direct the technical analysis of seized devices. The prosecutor’s office does not include such names arbitrarily, suggesting they appeared in the intercepted communications.
Among the keywords identified are the names of numerous current and former Inter and Milan players: Bastoni, Bellanova, Bisseck, Hakimi, Coutinho, Skriniar, Carlos Augusto, De Winter, Leão, Giroud and Menez. Also listed are Calafiori, Huijsen, Vlahovic, Arthur Melo, Scamacca, Ruggeri, Daniel Maldini and Nuno Tavares.
It is impossible to determine at this stage whether any of those named actually engaged with the alleged network, their appearance in search keywords alone does not constitute any wrongdoing or confirmed involvement.
