(Reuters)Italian Serie A strugglers Sampdoria received a sinister 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 Romei reading "the next heads will be yours", a spokesman for the club said.
The police were called to the scene, he added.
In a statement, Sampdoria expressed "profound outrage and indignation in the face of yet another serious act of intimidation".
Last month, a blank bullet was delivered to Sampdoria's offices accompanied by threats against Ferrero and Edoardo Garrone, a previous owner of the club.
Ferrero, who still controls Sampdoria via a family holding, resigned from his position after he was arrested in 2021 on financial charges unrelated to football.
Sampdoria is currently second-bottom in the table.
The 71-year-old has angered fans who say he is