TThe first names of footballers and athletes leaked to the Italian press are beginning to emerge from the scandal dismantled by Italy’s Guardia di Finanza, which recently ended with a network accused of exploiting prostitution, controlling events related to nightlife that would have benefited high-level footballers, including Serie A footballers, and using “laughing gas” recreationally.
Some are former stars like Dejan Stankovic, while others are young players like Daniel Maldini. In addition to them, there is a long list of famous and unknown football players who appear in calls and requests or are simply mentioned, so their actual involvement is still unknown. In the initial arrest warrants sent to the two suspects and several of their associates for pre-trial detention, the names of the “customers” were omitted for obvious reasons. This means they are not investigated because paid sex is not a crime.
More than 60 football players (including F1 drivers and hockey players) have been identified as “customers”. Inter and Milan make up the majority. The keywords Bastoni, Bellanova, Brisek, Hakimi, Coutinho, Skriniar and Carlos Augusto seem to refer to players who currently or recently wore a Nerazzurri shirt. On the other hand, the names de Winter, Leao, Giroud and Menez are reminiscent of AC Milan players. However, according to investigators’ reconstructions, the network was also a meeting point for players from other teams who stayed in Milan and used legitimate services, such as private rooms at the club and the presence of escort girls. Others not so much.
For Arsenal and the national team, it brings to mind the keyword ‘Calafiori’. For Juventus players, it brings to mind the words Heysen (Huisen?), Blachowicz and Arthur Melo. I also recall, although less clearly, the word “alvaro” (morata?). Also teams like Monza, Milan, Lazio, Como and Verona. Atalanta are mentioned in searches for ‘Scamacca’ and ‘Ruggeri’, and Lazio are also eyeing Nuno Tavares as well as Maldini. At this point, it is impossible to know whether anyone has succumbed to the seller’s insinuations.
During these nights, girls working at the agency were lured into having sex in exchange for money with selected clients, mostly professional soccer players, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported. The network kept at least 50% of the payment amount and gave the rest to the girls. Documents reveal that the girls received payments directly from the organizers, not from customers. The girls reportedly received envelopes containing cash depending on the services rendered and the amount earned.
One of them said, “I held 10% of a table of soccer players who spent $3,000, and the same with hockey players.” It is said that over 100 Italian and foreign girls, some of them very young, attended these nights, some of whom worked as escorts. They were sometimes employed as models, hostesses, and table companions.
“Unfortunately, this is not a crime and has not been classified as such. There is no violence, as the girls were completely obedient. The investigation has yielded no evidence of violence,” the Guardia di Finanza newspaper said.
