Former Juventus and Italian international striker Fabrizio Miccoli was handed a three and a half year jail sentence last week, after being found guilty of using ‘Mafia methods‘ to extort money.
In order to recover a debt, Miccoli sought help from Mauro Lauricella, who is the son of former Mob boss Antonio Calderone. According to reports, Miccoli was trying to assist a friend in a dispute with an Italian businessman over a €20,000 debt owed following the sale of a nightclub in Palermo, Sicily. During the investigation, Miccoli was heard in a wiretap conversation insulting anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone. Lawyers have now confirmed they will be appealing the sentence.
Fabrizio Miccoli started his footballing career by playing at youth level for Milan. He then joined Caserano in Serie C1, and made his professional debut for them at the age of 17. Since then he has played for several top tier clubs including Perugia, Juventus, Fiorentina, Palermo and Benfica. He made ten appearances for Italy between 2003 and 2004, scoring twice – both times against Portugal. He retired in 2015.
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