Giorgio Chinaglia
Encyclopedia
Giorgio Chinaglia (ˈdʒordʒo kiˈnaʎʎa; born January 24, 1947) is a former football
striker
from Italy
. He grew up and played his early football in Cardiff
, Wales
and began his career with Swansea Town in 1964. A year later at age 19, Chinaglia returned to Italy to play for Massese
, and then Internapoli
, before joining S.S. Lazio
in 1969. With Lazio, he scored 98 goals in 209 league appearances, including 24 goals in the 1973–74 season to lead the club to its first Scudetto.
After returning to Italy, Chinaglia earned 14 caps with Italy
, including two appearances at the 1974 FIFA World Cup
.
In 1976, Chinaglia left Lazio to sign with the New York Cosmos
of the North American Soccer League
. With the Cosmos team that also featured Pelé
and Franz Beckenbauer
, Chinaglia won four league titles, and retired in 1983 with NASL's all-time leading scorer with 243 goals.
In 1983, Chinaglia returned to Rome to serve as president of Lazio from 1983, but saw the club relegated to Serie B
in 1985, and then docked nine points for a corruption scandal. Chinaglia purchased a majority stake in the Cosmos in 1984, but the NASL folded later that year, and attempts to operate as an independent team in 1985 failed. In 2002 and 2006, he attempted to revive the Cosmos franchise with his business associate Peppe Pinton, who owns the rights to the team name and logo.
In 2000, Chinaglia was inducted into the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame
and was named the greatest player in Lazio's history during the club's centenary celebrations.
In 2006, Italian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Chinaglia and eight others for attempting to influence the price of Lazio shares, and in 2008, he was charged with acting as a front for the Camorra
crime organization in its attempt to acquire the club for money laundering
.
He served as a studio analyst for ABC Sports' 2002 FIFA World Cup
coverage in the United States
, and is an analyst for Sirius Radio.
, Tuscany
in 1947, but in 1955, he moved to Cardiff
, Wales
with his father Mario, mother Giovanna and his sister Rita, because of unemployment in Italy following World War II
. Because his family was poor, Chinaglia said, "All four of us lived in one room," he says, "My father was an ironworker and it was tough. I used to take the milk left on people's porches and drink it for breakfast."
At age 13, by which time his father had bought an Italian restaurant in Cardiff, Chinaglia was spotted scoring a hat trick
for Cardiff Schools, and joined Swansea Town
in the Football League Third Division
as an apprentice in 1962.
Chinaglia made his senior side debut the 1964–65 season in a 2–2 draw at Rotherham United
on October 14, 1964, in the League Cup
third round, and made his only other appearance that season in a 0–0 draw at home against Portsmouth
on February 13, 1965, before turning professional in April that year.
The following season, he made three Football League Division Two starts for Swansea and one as a substitute, and his only league goal came in the 2–1 defeat at Bournemouth
on August 24, 1965.
With Swansea, Chinaglia won the 1965 West Wales Senior Cup, scoring in the 3–0 victory in the final against Llanelli
, and represented the Swansea Senior Association Football League in 1964 in a representative match against the Birmingham & District Works Football Association.
Chinaglia said that he hated to train, and, "I never felt satisfied. But I've always been that way, I guess. When I was eight, I played soccer with kids 12 and 13. I always looked for older kids. What was the sense of doing anything on your own level?" Chinaglia was often late to training and had taken to drinking, gambling and womanizing, and with no British club interested in signing him, Swansea allowed him to return to Italy on a free transfer.
Chinaglia was banned from playing in Serie A
, the top division, for three years because he had played professionally outside of Italy, and his father fixed him up with Massese
, a Serie C
club in Massa
near his home.
The following season, he joined another Serie C
club, Internapoli
in Naples, where he played two seasons and scored 26 goals in 66 matches.
, where he played for seven seasons. In 1974 Chinaglia scored a goal in the Rome derby, and pointed to the Curva Sud, Roma
fans, and taunted them. Chinaglia led Lazio to the club's first championship in its history and was the league's leading scorer.
earned him a place on head coach Ferruccio Valcareggi's shortlist for the Italy
squad in the 1970 FIFA World Cup
. He did not make the final 22-man squad, but Valcareggi took him to Mexico for experience.
In 1971, after Lazio were demoted to Serie B
, Chinaglia became the first Italian national team player in modern history to be selected from a second-tier division club.
In 1973, Chinaglia returned to England with the Azzurri to face England
in a friendly match. In the 86th minute, Chinaglia beat English defender Bobby Moore
and sent in a cross that was tapped in by Fabio Capello
, helping Italy to its first win over England at Wembley Stadium.
Chinaglia was selected for Italy's squad at the 1974 FIFA World Cup
and played in two matches at the tournament. However, after he was substituted in a group match against Haiti
, he argued with and cursed at head coach Valcareggi, additionally making an obscene gesture, and storming into the dressing room where he broke water bottles.
He was ostracized by his teammates and the media, and the incident effectively ended his national team career with 14 caps and 4 goals.
and the New York Cosmos
. While many foreign stars would play in the NASL (Pelé
being the greatest example), Chinaglia was probably the first great player to leave his original team for the NASL while still in the prime of his career. This is evident with the great success he had in the NASL, scoring 242 goals in 254 games (including regular season and playoff competition). He led the NASL in scoring four times and would be the league's all-time leading scorer. Chinaglia would win the NASL Most Valuable Player Award
in 1981.
As of May 1979 he was the highest goalscorer amongst active players in the NASL, and was NASL top scorer in 1976 and 1978.
In 2000 he was inducted into the U.S.A. National Soccer Hall of Fame
.
coverage of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup
s.
He currently co-hosts a daily soccer talk show with Charlie Stilatano, The Football Show, from 0700 to 0900. on irius Satellite Radio] http://www.sirius.com/soccer].
In 1979 Chinaglia became a naturalized American citizen, telling New York Times reporter Diane Ackerman that he proudly kept his citizenship papers in his locker next to his bottle of Chivas Regal.
, a group of the Naples-based Camorra crime syndicate. Chinaglia was not among those arrested and is believed to still be in hiding in the US dating back to the issuance of the original warrant.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He grew up and played his early football in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and began his career with Swansea Town in 1964. A year later at age 19, Chinaglia returned to Italy to play for Massese
U.S. Massese 1919
Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Massese is an Italian football club, based in Massa, Tuscany. Massese currently plays in Eccellenza Tuscany, having last been in Serie B in 1969.- History :The club was founded in 1919 as Società Sportiva Juventus Massa....
, and then Internapoli
Internapoli Camaldoli S.S.D.
Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Internapoli Città di Marano is an Italian association football club based in the Vomero area of Naples, Campania. Founded as S.C.Vomero in 1909, the club has been re-founded several times, first under the Cral Cirio in 1935 and Internapoli dominion in 1964...
, before joining S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
in 1969. With Lazio, he scored 98 goals in 209 league appearances, including 24 goals in the 1973–74 season to lead the club to its first Scudetto.
After returning to Italy, Chinaglia earned 14 caps with Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, including two appearances at the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
.
In 1976, Chinaglia left Lazio to sign with the New York Cosmos
New York Cosmos
The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...
of the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
. With the Cosmos team that also featured Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
and Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
, Chinaglia won four league titles, and retired in 1983 with NASL's all-time leading scorer with 243 goals.
In 1983, Chinaglia returned to Rome to serve as president of Lazio from 1983, but saw the club relegated to Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
in 1985, and then docked nine points for a corruption scandal. Chinaglia purchased a majority stake in the Cosmos in 1984, but the NASL folded later that year, and attempts to operate as an independent team in 1985 failed. In 2002 and 2006, he attempted to revive the Cosmos franchise with his business associate Peppe Pinton, who owns the rights to the team name and logo.
In 2000, Chinaglia was inducted into the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
and was named the greatest player in Lazio's history during the club's centenary celebrations.
In 2006, Italian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Chinaglia and eight others for attempting to influence the price of Lazio shares, and in 2008, he was charged with acting as a front for the Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
crime organization in its attempt to acquire the club for money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
.
He served as a studio analyst for ABC Sports' 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
coverage in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is an analyst for Sirius Radio.
Early years in Wales
Chinaglia was born in CarraraCarrara
Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
in 1947, but in 1955, he moved to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
with his father Mario, mother Giovanna and his sister Rita, because of unemployment in Italy following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Because his family was poor, Chinaglia said, "All four of us lived in one room," he says, "My father was an ironworker and it was tough. I used to take the milk left on people's porches and drink it for breakfast."
At age 13, by which time his father had bought an Italian restaurant in Cardiff, Chinaglia was spotted scoring a hat trick
Hat Trick
Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...
for Cardiff Schools, and joined Swansea Town
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
in the Football League Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
as an apprentice in 1962.
Chinaglia made his senior side debut the 1964–65 season in a 2–2 draw at Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
on October 14, 1964, in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
third round, and made his only other appearance that season in a 0–0 draw at home against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
on February 13, 1965, before turning professional in April that year.
The following season, he made three Football League Division Two starts for Swansea and one as a substitute, and his only league goal came in the 2–1 defeat at Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
on August 24, 1965.
With Swansea, Chinaglia won the 1965 West Wales Senior Cup, scoring in the 3–0 victory in the final against Llanelli
Llanelli A.F.C.
Llanelli Association Football Club is a Welsh semi-professional football club that plays in the Welsh Premier League for the 2010–11 season. The team has been based at Stebonheath Park since 1920, and as of 2009 is managed by Andy Legg....
, and represented the Swansea Senior Association Football League in 1964 in a representative match against the Birmingham & District Works Football Association.
Chinaglia said that he hated to train, and, "I never felt satisfied. But I've always been that way, I guess. When I was eight, I played soccer with kids 12 and 13. I always looked for older kids. What was the sense of doing anything on your own level?" Chinaglia was often late to training and had taken to drinking, gambling and womanizing, and with no British club interested in signing him, Swansea allowed him to return to Italy on a free transfer.
Serie C
In 1966, because of the lack of interest from British clubs and his compulsory Italian military service, Chinaglia, then age 19, and his family moved back to Carrara. He credited the military requirement with getting his career on track, saying, "Otherwise, I'd probably still be in Wales , slogging it out in the mud and drinking ale. The Italian army has a special regiment for soccer players, so all I did in the service was to train all day, and when my club had a game, get a pass."Chinaglia was banned from playing in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, the top division, for three years because he had played professionally outside of Italy, and his father fixed him up with Massese
U.S. Massese 1919
Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Massese is an Italian football club, based in Massa, Tuscany. Massese currently plays in Eccellenza Tuscany, having last been in Serie B in 1969.- History :The club was founded in 1919 as Società Sportiva Juventus Massa....
, a Serie C
Serie C
The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico , commonly known as Lega Pro , is the governing body that runs the third and fourth highest football divisions in Italy, the Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione respectively. It also includes the sole professional club of San Marino...
club in Massa
Massa
Massa is a town and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa-Carrara. It is located in the Frigido River Valley, near the Alpi Apuane, some 5 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea....
near his home.
The following season, he joined another Serie C
Serie C
The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico , commonly known as Lega Pro , is the governing body that runs the third and fourth highest football divisions in Italy, the Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione respectively. It also includes the sole professional club of San Marino...
club, Internapoli
Internapoli Camaldoli S.S.D.
Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Internapoli Città di Marano is an Italian association football club based in the Vomero area of Naples, Campania. Founded as S.C.Vomero in 1909, the club has been re-founded several times, first under the Cral Cirio in 1935 and Internapoli dominion in 1964...
in Naples, where he played two seasons and scored 26 goals in 66 matches.
Lazio
He made his name with LazioS.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, where he played for seven seasons. In 1974 Chinaglia scored a goal in the Rome derby, and pointed to the Curva Sud, Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
fans, and taunted them. Chinaglia led Lazio to the club's first championship in its history and was the league's leading scorer.
National team career
Chinaglia's play with LazioS.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
earned him a place on head coach Ferruccio Valcareggi's shortlist for the Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
squad in the 1970 FIFA World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
. He did not make the final 22-man squad, but Valcareggi took him to Mexico for experience.
In 1971, after Lazio were demoted to Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
, Chinaglia became the first Italian national team player in modern history to be selected from a second-tier division club.
In 1973, Chinaglia returned to England with the Azzurri to face England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in a friendly match. In the 86th minute, Chinaglia beat English defender Bobby Moore
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...
and sent in a cross that was tapped in by Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
, helping Italy to its first win over England at Wembley Stadium.
Chinaglia was selected for Italy's squad at the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
and played in two matches at the tournament. However, after he was substituted in a group match against Haiti
Haiti national football team
The Haiti national football team represents Haiti in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Haïtienne de Football, the governing body for football in Haiti. Haiti's home ground is Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince and their head coach is Edson Tavares...
, he argued with and cursed at head coach Valcareggi, additionally making an obscene gesture, and storming into the dressing room where he broke water bottles.
He was ostracized by his teammates and the media, and the incident effectively ended his national team career with 14 caps and 4 goals.
Career with the Cosmos
In 1976, Chinaglia moved to the NASLNorth American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
and the New York Cosmos
New York Cosmos
The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...
. While many foreign stars would play in the NASL (Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
being the greatest example), Chinaglia was probably the first great player to leave his original team for the NASL while still in the prime of his career. This is evident with the great success he had in the NASL, scoring 242 goals in 254 games (including regular season and playoff competition). He led the NASL in scoring four times and would be the league's all-time leading scorer. Chinaglia would win the NASL Most Valuable Player Award
NASL Most Valuable Player Award
This North American Soccer League gave out an MVP Award each year from 1968 to 1984.*1968 – John Kowalik*1969 – Cirilio Fernandez*1970 – Carlos Metidieri*1971 – Carlos Metidieri*1972 – Randy Horton*1973 – Warren Archibald*1974 – Peter Silvester...
in 1981.
As of May 1979 he was the highest goalscorer amongst active players in the NASL, and was NASL top scorer in 1976 and 1978.
In 2000 he was inducted into the U.S.A. National Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
.
Later life
Chinaglia contributed to ABC'sAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
coverage of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s.
He currently co-hosts a daily soccer talk show with Charlie Stilatano, The Football Show, from 0700 to 0900. on irius Satellite Radio] http://www.sirius.com/soccer].
In 1979 Chinaglia became a naturalized American citizen, telling New York Times reporter Diane Ackerman that he proudly kept his citizenship papers in his locker next to his bottle of Chivas Regal.
Arrest warrant
Chinaglia was named as one of nine people for whom arrest warrants had been issued on Friday 13 October 2006 following an extortion probe linked to shares in his former club Lazio.Followup to Arrest warrant
Authorities arrested seven suspects related to an illegal attempt to purchase the Lazio football club with laundered funds. The laundered funds are believed to be part of the activities of the Casalesi clanCasalesi clan
The Casalesi clan is a clan within the Camorra, an Italian criminal organization, operating from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta between Naples and Salerno.Formed by Antonio Bardellino, it is a confederation of clans in the Caserta area...
, a group of the Naples-based Camorra crime syndicate. Chinaglia was not among those arrested and is believed to still be in hiding in the US dating back to the issuance of the original warrant.