Italian Serie A side Sampdoria received a dire warning from an unknown source on Saturday when a severed pig’s head was delivered to the club’s headquarters.
The “Godfather”-style gift was found in a box along with a message addressed to former club president Massimo Ferrero and current vice-president Antonio Romay that read “the next heads will be yours,” a club spokesman said.
The police were called to the scene, he added.
In a statement, Sampdoria expressed “deep anger and outrage at yet another serious act of intimidation”.
Last month, a white bullet was delivered to Sampdoria’s offices accompanied by threats against Ferrero and Edoardo Garrone, the club’s previous owner.
Ferrero, who still controls Sampdoria through a family holding, stepped down after being arrested in 2021 on non-football financial charges.
The 71-year-old has furious fans who say he is ruining Sampdoria’s finances and refuses to sell the club to new owners capable of saving it from financial and sporting ruin.
The Genoa-based side are currently second in the table with 11 points from 23 matches, eight points adrift of safety, and are hugely cash-strapped.
They will then travel to fifth-placed Lazio on Monday.
Other Italian teams have faced similar bullying in the past.
Palermo’s sporting director was sent a severed goat’s head in 2006, while in 1999 the president of Regina received a bull’s head.
