Palermo have refuted Italian media reports that the Serie A club may have been the victim of Mafia extortion attempts.
"Palermo categorically denies that the club, its administrators or directors have ever received demands or pressures of an extortive nature from anyone or, even less so, from anyone linked to organised crime," the club stated.
La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper said on Friday that a letter written to captured Mafia boss Salvatore Lo Piccolo mentioned one of Palermo's youth team coaches and the club's plans to build a new stadium.
The letter was among documents seized when Lo Piccolo was arrested at his Sicilian hideout last month, it said.
more : eurosport