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Analysis
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November tales from the 211: Mafia infiltration, Footballer MPs and more
Nieuws
Each month, we bring you weird and wonderful tales from the world of football across FIFA's 211 member nations.
OFF-PITCH MATTERS MAKING HEADLINES IN ITALY'S SERIE C
Italian third-tier club Crotone have been placed under judicial supervision for a year after police found "sufficient evidence" of pervasive mafia infiltration. The powerful 'Ndrangheta syndicate in southern Calabria had reportedly infiltrated the club's security and ticketing operations, prompting the authorities to deem protective measures necessary. In a released statement, the club - who are not under investigation - said the court decision "does not even remotely suggest complicity or connivance by the club, its shareholders, or its managers and collaborators".
It is not an isolated case. Fellow third-tier outfit Foggia are also operating under judicial supervision following investigations to safeguard the sport under Italy's Anti-Mafia Code.
🇮🇹 Serie C Ternana made headlines last season when president Stefano D'Alessandro sacked coach Ignazio Abate for omitting his son, then reappointed him following a player rebellion.
Now they are making more headlines after 23-year-old Claudia Rizzo became the youngest club… pic.twitter.com/7WJrijLbi1— The Sweeper (@SweeperPod) September 21, 2025
Further north in Italy's third tier, Ternana have made headlines for appointing a 23-year-old with no prior football experience as their new club president. Claudia Rizzo, the daughter of billionaire businessman and club owner Gianluigi Rizzo, previously managed the family's olive oil production plant in Sicily. The Rizzo family bought the club from Stefano D'Alessandro, who last season sacked former coach Ignazio Abate for omitting his son Mattya from the squad, then performed an immediate U-turn and re-appointed him following a player revolt.
EX-FOOTBALLER BECOMES MP
Within the space of just 12 months, Maxim Potirniche has gone from playing European football to becoming a member of the Moldovan Parliament. The former defender helped Petrocub Hincesti end Sheriff Tiraspol's eight-year stranglehold on Moldova's Super Liga in 2024 and then made four Conference League appearances later that year, before hanging up his boots in January. He has since moved into politics and become an MP for the pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), which won the election that was held in September this year.
The most famous example of a footballer entering politics is former Milan forward and Ballon d'Or winner George Weah, who served as Liberian president from 2018 to 2024 and whose inauguration was attended by fellow African legends Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba. He was the second former footballer to become a head of state, after Algeria's Ahmed Ben Bella in 1963. More recently, former Dinamo Tbilisi and Manchester City defender Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in as Georgia's president in December 2024.
ANDORRAN LEAGUE LEFT IN LIMBO
Following in the footsteps of the Indian Super League, the Andorran top flight was forced to delay the start of the 2025-26 season. Scheduled to begin in September, it was delayed by more than a month.
The postponement came about because the country's immigration quota was exhausted, leaving more than 80 footballers without the required permits and seven of the ten clubs without enough players. To circumvent the same problem next season, a special visa is reportedly set to be introduced for athletes, who currently have to adhere to the same rules as everyone else.
Words by The Sweeper podcast.
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