Sporting director who shipped Chukwueze to Fulham under investigation for alleged fraud

Former AC Milan sporting director Igli Tare has found himself at the centre of a major judicial scandal in his native Albania.

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 52-year-old football executive is officially under investigation by special prosecutors for his alleged involvement in a high-profile corruption and money laundering scheme.

The expanding legal case centers around a luxury villa located on the Ionian coast within a highly popular Albanian tourist complex.

Investigative authorities suspect the high-end property was originally offered as an elaborate bribe to former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku in exchange for a lucrative state air traffic contract.

To completely mask the true ownership and shield the politician from scrutiny, investigators believe a fraudulent scheme was deployed to register the villa under Tare's name via a fictitious rental agreement.

The former international striker was reportedly subjected to an exhaustive, six-hour interrogation session at the prosecutor's office before leaving the premises without providing an official statement to the waiting media.

The legal drama unfolds right on the heels of a chaotic administrative period for Tare, who joined AC Milan as sporting director in May 2025 following a long-term stint with Lazio.

During his brief stint, in his first transfer window with the Rossoneri, the Albanian administrator made wholesale changes to the squad including the loan-to-buy operation that sent Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze away to English Premier League side Fulham.

With both Tare and the AC Milan hierarchy having recently departed the club following a failure to secure elite European targets, this rapidly escalating criminal investigation ensures that the veteran director's summer will be defined by courtroom battles.