FIGC president Gabriele Farina is under investigation in Rome for an alleged bribe of 250 thousand euros. The investigation begins as soon as a contract is awarded in exchange for the payment of purchase options on old books belonging to the number 1 of the Football Federation. The potential buyer would never have made the purchase. But he would have renewed the options by spending the sum, which Gravina would then use to buy an apartment in Milan. The case has been open for some time, but the story comes out today because it is one of the files being investigated by the Perugia public prosecutor's office. In fact, the investigation is officially based on a report from the Salerno public prosecutor's office. But in reality, it all started with information provided to Pasquale Striano by a former Gravina collaborator called Emanuele Floridi. Who then passed into the orbit of Claudio Lotito.
The story
According to the reconstruction of Corriere della Sera in Salerno, an investigation file was opened on the sale of Salernitana to entrepreneur Danilo Iervolino. According to Lotito, he, the former owner, was forced by FIGC rules on the incompatibility of ownership of two teams playing in the same series to sell his majority stake in the company. In Striano, investigators found a note titled Gravina.doc which contained information relating to ongoing investigative activities and was therefore covered by state secrecy. While the investigation into Gravina was opened thanks to a document from Antonio Laudati, also investigated in the Perugia investigation, sent by the national anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Melillo to Piazzale Clodio. The investigation also included a suspicious transaction report from a Milanese notary regarding Gravina's purchase of the apartment.
The Man by Lotito and Pasquale Striano
The story begins in the spring of 2022. Laudati calls Striano and puts him in contact with Floridi. The latter, accompanied by the sporting director of SS Lazio Mariano Fabiani, presented himself to the Marshal of the Guardia di Finanza on May 9, 17 and 24 and then on June 17. Here we talk about TV rights, but above all about Gravina's collection of precious old books that he sold when he was president of Lega Pro. At the end of the discussions, which according to Floridi's lawyer, Marcello Elia, were born at the initiative of Striano, Laudati and the marshal prepared a note to send to the prosecutors in Rome. However, the source of the information has been omitted. Finally, the investigation also ended up on Cantone's desk, given that in the meantime Minister Guido Crosetto denounced the file. And then he returns to Rome for investigations.
Investigation
The Republic explains today that the investigation concerns a transaction that dates back to 2018. The contract concerns Lega Pro and Isg, a company specializing in digital platforms. The subject is TV rights. Here is the exchange with the book sales preliminaries. Used to buy a house in Milan for Gravina's partner's daughter. Lotito is said to be hostile to Gravina due to Salernitana's history. It is for this reason that he would have undertaken to take the matter to court. Also in the mix is Michele Punsi, head of security at Tim-controlled Telsi. Who receives the file for purposes that are still unclear.
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