The situation at Sampdoria is showing no signs of improvement, neither on the pitch nor off it. On the morning of Monday, January 30, an envelope containing a bullet was sent to the club’s headquarters in Genoa, Liguria.
Naturally, the delivery raised alarms when it arrived at the club’s headquarters in Corte Lambruschini, in Genoa’s Borgo Pila neighbourhood.
“This time it’s a blank, next time it will be for real,” read an accompanying note, which was addressed to both former club president Edoardo Garrone and maximum shareholder since 2014, Massimo Ferrero, who has long been on the wrong side of Sampdoria supporters.
The letter was handwritten and entirely in capital letters. The incident is now being investigated with the intention of determining the source of the threat.
On the field, Samp sit 19th in Serie A and lost 2-0 to Atalanta last time out in Bergamo.
Sampdoria fans protest
Before news of the package broke on Monday, Sampdoria ultras had protested against both Garrone and Ferrero’s impact on the club at offices owned by the businessmen on via Martin Piaggio. It has been reported by local media, La Repubblica and others that there were around 70 fans in attendance.
Local Genovese media reported that the fans were present with smoke bombs and displayed a banner that read: “Shame on you, Garrone-Mondini”.
Prior to the sending of the bullet, Sampdoria fans had expressed their anger on several occasions. They pointed fingers of blame primarily at the Garrone-Mondini Group, adding that Ferrero’s control over the club in recent years was their doing as they “handed him the keys to the club” and that they “will be primarily responsible if Sampdoria disappear”.
The ultras had previously protested on the streets of Genoa in November 2022.
Garrone’s response
Expectedly, Edoardo Garrone responded to the threatening message he had received, stating that the “attack” had gone “beyond the right of expression and criticism”, adding that the situation had “reached a very serious degree of danger” in an appeal to the local authorities and the media.
Sampdoria also issued a statement on the incident, stating that they “strongly condemn what happened” and that they “hope that the delicate situation facing the club can be managed in the most appropriate ways and in the most appropriate places”.
