The Sampdoria president, Massimo Ferrero, has claimed that his Palermo counterpart, Maurizio Zamparini, threatened to kill him in a row over the Paraguay midfielder Édgar Barreto.
Ferrero, a film director who was banned for three months last year after referring to Internazionale’s Indonesian owner Erick Thohir as a “Filipino”, has claimed that Zamparini made the threat when he made an inquiry about the availability of Barreto, Palermo’s captain, whose contract expires in the summer.
“Zamparini insulted me, made death threats and now he is frankly going over the line,” Ferrero told Sky Sport Italia. “I received a three-month ban for making a joke, so now I expect the justice system to intervene, because I am fed up with him.
“He gets publicity for himself by insulting me. Enough with the insults. I called him to ask about Barreto and he threatened to kill me!
“Zamparini needs to take a long hard look at himself and think of how many players he has taken away from others in an ungentlemanly manner.
“I called him and said there could be this negotiation with Barreto, but I respect old men and therefore he should stay calm. I get on with all presidents who aren’t mean. Every now and then Zamparini loses his head.”
Zamparini, who last month likened Lazio president Claudio Lotito to the former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, has denied Ferrero’s claims and threatened him with legal action. “Ferrero is insane. I never threatened to kill anyone,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I have the messages stored. I told him not to talk to Barreto until we have discussed the renewal and I wrote: ‘Bravo, you’ll look on the bank of the river.’ This is certainly not a threat.”
