On Tuesday morning, the Italian authorities began inspections as part of an investigation conducted by the Public Prosecution regarding alleged pressure exerted on Claudio Lotito, president of the Lazio club. With the aim of pushing him to sell the club, amid suspicions of the existence of a coordinated network that used social media platforms, newspaper articles, and relationships with figures in the banking sector to launch a campaign against him and influence the value of the club’s shares listed on the stock exchange.
According to the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the search warrant issued by the prosecution included the names of Mauro Masi, president of Banca del Fuccino, and Francesco Maiolini, CEO of the bank itself, along with Luigi Bisignani, a former journalist and well-known mediator in Italian circles, while investigators seek to determine whether there was an “operations room” that managed interconnected movements against Lotito.
The investigation hypothesis stems from suspicion of publishing news that investigators believe to be untrue, and the purpose of which, according to the prosecution, was twofold. The first: negatively affecting the value of Lazio’s shares, as a company listed on the stock exchange, and the second: increasing the pressure on Lotito to the point of pushing him to give up his controlling stake in the club.
The indictment stated that Massi, Maiolini and Bisignani “worked in conjunction with each other and with other parties, some of whom are still being identified,” and contributed to the dissemination of information via social media platforms and various publications talking about the imminent sale of Lazio, and the economic conditions of companies linked to Lotito, as well as allegations that the club president deliberately wanted the team to be relegated to the second division in order to benefit from what is known as the “financial umbrella” worth 35 million euros.
In the search warrant, prosecutors in the “Anti-Mafia Directorate” spoke of the existence of a “broader and unified plan,” which was suspected of aiming, on the one hand, at influencing Lazio’s stock on the stock exchange, and on the other hand, “pushing and forcing the majority shareholder to sell the package of shares that gives him control over the club.”
Activity on social media platforms and articles published in the media represent one of the main focuses of the investigation, as the investigations include content published by the electronic magazine “Milenovichento,” which investigators believe contributed to directing protests by a segment of Lazio fans against the Lotito administration.
According to investigations, examinations of devices confiscated in previous inspections showed indicators that led investigators to suspect that some of the distortion and publishing activities on social media platforms had received funding from Maiolini.
Articles later appeared in the newspaper “Il Tiempo” adopting the same path, including an article published on May 31, 2026 under the title: “A stadium without fans... Lotito like Nero? If the Lazio world is burning. The article, according to the investigation documents, included information about an alleged offer worth 450 million euros made by JP Morgan to buy Lazio. It also talked about the possibility of Lotito seeking the help of figures from the financial sector to start a new phase in the management of the club, and specifically mentioned “Massi and Maiolini from Banca del Fuccino.”
The interconnection between the people involved is another focus of the investigations. It included a memorandum; Prepared by members of the Italian Military Police and deposited on July 21, 2026, it refers to the participation of Bisignani, Maiolini and Massi in public mass protests against the Lotito administration, a participation that investigators described in the documents as “naturally legitimate.”
Investigators also monitored a series of phone calls between Maiolini and Bisignani over the past two years, in addition to communications between Massi and Bisignani, with a special focus on the calls that took place between Bisignani and Maiolini in conjunction with the preparation and publication of a number of articles in the newspaper “Il Tempo.”
The documents refer in particular to communications that took place on May 31, June 1, and June 11, 2026, before the publication on June 12 of an article that investigators considered important because of its close timing to materials published by “Milenovichento” on June 9 and 10. These articles bore titles including: “The last days of the Lotito era!” And “We have a daddy!” Rather, two...”, and it in turn included information about the imminent sale of the club, which is the news that has become part of the process that the prosecution is working to determine its source, the method of its spread, and the extent of the various parties’ connection to it.
Investigators are currently seeking to reconstruct the network of relationships between published articles, activity on social media platforms, alleged financing, and telephone communications. To determine whether the facts, which may appear separate on the face of it, are part of a single strategy aimed at putting pressure on Lotito, in parallel with influencing the market value of Lazio shares.
The new inspections constitute an additional stage of the investigation, while future examinations, including analysis of the materials and devices that were seized, will determine whether the prosecution’s hypotheses will find support from evidence, or whether the final results will lead to reducing the scope of the accusations currently presented.
The registration case of Giovanni Malago, President of the Italian Football Federation, has entered a new phase, after it reached the Board of Directors of the Italian Olympic Committee on Tuesday morning, amid legal questions regarding his fulfillment of one of the conditions required to run for and be elected President of the Federation.
According to the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Luciano Bonfilio, President of the Italian Olympic Committee, presented to the members of the Board of Directors, including Malago himself in his capacity as a member of the International Olympic Committee, the position announced by Ugo Taucher, the General Prosecutor of Sports, that official registration is a necessary condition for candidacy and eligibility to elect the president of any sports federation.
Bonfilio explained, during the press conference that followed the Board of Directors meeting, that Toucher reiterated the necessity of the candidate having a valid registration as one of the conditions for candidacy and eligibility for election, and that the “Italian Football Federation” did not practically implement the basic principles regulating this; Which, according to this legal opinion, led to its violation.
Bonfilio said: “Taucher reiterated that possession of a valid registration must be one of the conditions for candidacy and eligibility for election, and that the (Italian Football Federation) did not practically apply the basic principles, and thus they were violated. Therefore, the Italian Olympic Committee, which supervises all federations, will conduct the appropriate legal investigations.”
The Board of Directors of the Italian Olympic Committee must take a position on the issue, but Bonfilio stressed the necessity of conducting legal reviews first, explaining that he will not undertake this task himself, but rather it will be entrusted to well-known jurists and specialists in the sports field.
He added: “(The Italian Football Federation) deserves respect like all other federations. We do not seek rush, but rather legal certainty, and this is what we will work on during the coming days, which I hope will not be many.”
The President of the Italian Olympic Committee stressed that he does not deal with the issue as a personal matter, but rather based on his responsibility towards the institution he represents and Italian sports, adding: “I do not personalize anything at all, and I work only for the interests of the party I represent and the world of sports. We must not forget that (the Italian Olympic Committee) is a public body, and I am a public official.”
Regarding the way in which the issue was discussed within the meeting, Bonfilio explained that the discussion was limited, after he presented the document related to the file and asked the members to comment on it, before giving Malago an opportunity to present his point of view.
He said: “We discussed the matter quite a bit; Because I presented the document and asked to comment on it, I thought it was legitimate to give Malago an opportunity to speak and present his point of view. "Giovanni is not angry with me."
Bonfilio acknowledged that the issue does not serve the image of football or Italian sports in general, adding: “It is clear that all of this is not in the interest of football and the sports world, as such conditions do not allow us to live in peace. “I see that there are indications of a defect in performance.”
He continued: “In a world where respect for the rules has begun to decline somewhat, sports still adhere to them. When we talk about the need to be role models for our youth, we must then be consistent with what we say.”
For his part, Malago spoke after leaving the meeting, stressing his appreciation for the way Bonfilio presented the issue before the Board of Directors, and said: “Bonfilio read two substantive pages before the Board, and I appreciated that very much. All I did was add some of my notes; Not because what was presented included incorrect things, but rather I added some elements that may have been missing.”
Daniel Maldini, the son of one of the most famous Italian football players, defended himself against allegations of drug use, following a traffic accident that occurred while he was driving under the influence of alcohol. According to The Athletic, Maldini, a Cagliari player, was involved in a traffic accident in the early hours of last Sunday morning, after his Porsche Carrera collided with another car in the city of Milan.
The accident came hours after he excelled against his former team, “Atalanta,” in the nearby city of Bergamo, where he gave a decisive performance that led “Cagliari” to victory in the match.
Maldini underwent a test to measure the percentage of alcohol in exhaled air, and it was found that the 24-year-old player, the son of Milan legend Paolo Maldini, exceeded the permissible legal limit for the percentage of alcohol while driving. As a result, his driving license was suspended.
After Italian media published reports claiming that Maldini did not pass a preliminary drug test conducted by the police, the player published, via his Instagram account, the results of a separate examination that he underwent at a clinic in the city of Cagliari.
The results published by Maldini showed no traces of amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, methadone, ecstasy, opioids or buprenorphine, a prescription opioid drug.
Danilo Bongiorno, Maldini's lawyer, touched on the circulating reports of positive results in toxicology tests, describing these reports as "unfounded."
Bongiorno stressed that Maldini “reserves his right to protect the player’s reputation” by taking “civil and criminal measures.”
Beppe Rizzo, Maldini's agent, also defended his client, saying: “No one doubts the fact that Daniel made a mistake, but there are mistakes and mistakes.”
He added: “You must be careful about what you write and the titles you use. It requires more care and respect. There is always a search for the most influential story from a media standpoint, with the aim of putting him in a difficult position.”
Rizzo continued: “Daniel is one of the few players we have in Italy who has real talent.”
Maldini participated in 6 international matches with the Italian national team, and also made a strong start to the current season, after scoring in his team’s last two victories. Cagliari currently occupies fifth place in the standings, in the team's best start in the league since the early 1970s.
Tommaso Giulini, president of Cagliari, spoke about the crisis on Tuesday morning, on the sidelines of a shareholders’ meeting at the headquarters of the Italian League in Milan. “As a father, I always tell my children not to drive a car or a motorcycle when they go out to have an alcoholic drink,” Golini said. “I think Daniel knows that too, and that next time he won’t make the same kind of mistakes that could put his safety and the safety of others at risk.”
He added: “What we read in some media coverage during the past few hours has shocked us. “At the moment, it seems to me that traces of drugs are in the newspapers more than anywhere else, and this is extremely dangerous.”
The Cagliari president continued: “We trust the young man’s good faith, and he confirms that he did not take any drugs, and that the matter did not go beyond consuming a few alcoholic drinks, which was confirmed by the results of the alcohol test.”
Daniel Maldini returned to Cagliari training on Monday. The question remains, now, about whether the player will reserve a place in the Italian team roster led by Roberto Mancini, in preparation for the upcoming matches in the European Nations League, which includes two matches against Turkey, in addition to two matches against France and Belgium.
