Gianluigi Buffon

Following Italy's third consecutive failure to qualify for a World Cup, Buffon resigned in April 2026 from his role as head of delegation of the national team, presenting his decision as an act of responsibility amid a wider crisis in Italian football governance.

State of the evidence

Documented

Invited to Atreju in December 2025 while holding an official role with the Italian national team, Buffon expressed particularly warm personal support for Giorgia Meloni. The statement prompted criticism over whether a representative of the Nazionale, a national symbol, should engage in such overtly partisan activity.

State of the evidence

Documented

A blasphemous expression attributed to Buffon during Parma–Juventus in December 2020 prompted disciplinary proceedings. The Federal Tribunal initially fined him 5 000 euros in February 2021; following an appeal by the federal prosecutor, the Federal Court of Appeal replaced that outcome with a one-match suspension.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Following the penalty awarded at the end of the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, Buffon fiercely criticised referee Michael Oliver, using expressions that attracted worldwide attention. UEFA subsequently imposed a three-match suspension from its competitions.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

UEFA_three_match_suspension

Attribution

Personally implicated

The Buffon family had held a major stake in Carrarese before selling 70 % to Raffaele Tartaglia while retaining 30 %. A breakdown in relations between shareholders preceded the club's liquidation and subsequent bankruptcy in March 2016. The Buffon family still held that stake at the time of the bankruptcy.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

The federal prosecutor's office alleged that Buffon had received assistance from agent Silvano Martina when signing his Juventus contract on 1 February 2013 without granting him the written authorisation required by agents' regulations. The proceedings concluded with the application of an agreed sanction: an 8 000-euro fine for Buffon.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

FIGC_8000_euro_fine_after_agreed_sanction

Attribution

Personally implicated

In 2012, the press revealed that between 2010 and 2011 Buffon had issued fourteen cheques totalling approximately 1,585 million euros to the owner of a betting shop. Bank reports fuelled speculation about prohibited sports wagers.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

CONSOB imposed administrative penalties totalling 60 000 euros on Buffon for failing to make or delaying mandatory disclosures when crossing the thresholds of 2 %, 5 % and 10 % of the share capital of Vincenzo Zucchi S.p.A. Buffon challenged the decision before the Lazio Regional Administrative Court (TAR), which dismissed his appeal in June 2012 and found liability at least on the basis of negligence.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

consob_60000_euro_fine; TAR_appeal_rejected

Attribution

Directly implicated

After Sulley Muntari's disallowed goal during Milan–Juventus, footage showed that the ball had crossed the line. Buffon stated that he had not realised this but that, even if he had seen it, he would not have helped the referee by pointing it out. The president of the Italian referees' association condemned the statement as setting a poor example for young people.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Amid the Calcioscommesse crisis, Buffon stated that when two teams both benefit from a draw, they may sometimes make strategic calculations, using the expression 'better two injured than one dead'. His remarks sparked renewed controversy because they appeared to normalise tacit arrangements.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Buffon came under scrutiny in connection with suspected sports betting. He acknowledged having placed legal bets when this was permitted but denied betting on Italian matches. The Parma judicial authorities found no irregularities and requested that the case be closed; FIGC had already closed its investigation without identifying any infringement.

Legal status — source text

prosecutors_requested_archiving; FIGC_closed_without_irregularities

Attribution

Directly implicated

A Fiat Fiorino advertisement showed Buffon moving around scaffolding without guardrails or personal protective equipment. Against a backdrop of high workplace mortality, the message was condemned as setting a dangerous example and prompted a parliamentary question asking, among other things, whether the campaign should be withdrawn.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

During celebrations of Italy's victory at the 2006 World Cup, Buffon attached a banner reading « Fieri di essere italiani » to the bus, with a Celtic cross in one corner. The incident provoked controversy, particularly because it followed the earlier « Boia chi molla » and number 88 incidents.

State of the evidence

Documented

Buffon admitted purchasing a fake accounting qualification in 1996 in order to enrol at university. The matter subsequently led to judicial proceedings and a financial penalty, reported as six million lire.

Attribution

Personally implicated

After considering wearing the number 88, Buffon faced further protests because « 88 » is used as a neo-Nazi code for « Heil Hitler ». Representatives of the Jewish community criticised the choice.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

In September 1999, Buffon displayed a T-shirt bearing « Boia chi molla » beneath his football shirt, a slogan historically associated with the radical right and neo-fascism. The controversy led to a referral for federal disciplinary proceedings and a fine of 5 million lire.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated