As the investigation into the Milanese ultras continues, more information has emerged about the Luccis, Luca and Francesco, who are at the head of the AC Milan group the Curva Sud.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport writes, the two are brothers and have been in charge for almost 15 years. From the investigations it has been revealed that they used a series of favourable circumstances, pushing forward the idea of creating a single group that could have decision-making power.
Thus, they would enjoy exclusivity in the management of tickets, the prices of beers sold at San Siro and merchandising. How? By suppressing the other factions of the Curva, often with intimidating methods.
The last such occasion was in 2016, when they managed to eliminate the ‘Commandos Tigre’, a historic group of the Rossoneri fans. On Monday, both Lucci brothers were arrested along with 17 other members of the organised Milanese fans.
According to investigators, in 2007 Giancarlo Lombardi, known as ‘Sandokan’, was the undisputed leader of the Rossoneri fans. He and Carlo Giovanni Capelli, wereat the top of the ‘Brigate Rossonere’.
In May of the same year, the Lombardi brothers were arrested, again a family matter, Capelli and other members of the organised Rossoneri fans, paving the way for the rise of Lucci, the Lombardi’s favourite.
The cause of the arrests? Extortion and intimidating behaviour against Galliani and the club. Lucci, as stated in the order, in February two years later, was the protagonist of the beating of Virgilio Motta, a young Inter fan guilty of having torn pieces of cloth from a banner. Lucci himself allegedly attacked him with a punch, causing him to lose an eye.
The boy committed suicide in 2012, Lucci was sentenced to four years and six months in prison. Control of the balustrade then passes to Francesco: in effect, power remains in the family. From here on, according to the accusation, it is as if the script reversed.
Lombardi tried to exploit every weakness or legal problem of Lucci to regain control. Lucci, in fact, had also ended up in handcuffs in 2018 in a police investigation into drug trafficking with Albanians and then again in 2021, again for drugs.
Lucci spoke of him in a not very pleasant way, referring to Lombardi’s attempt to unite with ‘the enemy’, or with those who for years have been the ‘antagonists’ of both. “He’s scared… he goes to ask his enemy for help… It sucks,” Lucci said.
Lombardi returned in September and June 2018, declaring his desire to oust Lucci, but the latter then offered for the forma to take “the lower Curva” – the tier below – while Lucci would have remained in charge of the second, but Lombardi refused.
The peak of tension between the two came last January when, some leading members of the Milan ultras – including Luca Lucci’s brother, Francesco – tried to attack Giancarlo Lombardi inside the Old Fashion nightclub. The latter, however, managed to protect himself and run away.