Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero has stepped down after his arrest on Monday.

The Guardia di Finanza arrested Ferrero for alleged corporate crimes and bankruptcy in an investigation carried out by the Paola Public Prosecutor in the region of Calabria.

In an official statement, Sampdoria announced: “It was with great astonishment that we learned of the execution today of a pre-trial detention order against Massimo Ferrero.

“It was a request from the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Paola for bankruptcy related to events of many years ago. It is still unclear why the precautionary requirements were needed.

“These events are entirely independent of both the management and ownership of the Sampdoria and the Roman activities of Ferrero related to the world of cinema.

“However, to protect the interests of the other activities in which he operates, and, specifically, to avoid any speculation regarding Sampdoria and the world of football, Ferrero intends to formalize the immediate resignation from social positions.

“At the same time, he puts himself at the immediate and complete disposal of the investigators, who will be contacted by his lawyers, Luca Ponti and Giuseppina Tenga, to clarify his position and avoid further prejudices against different realities, such as Sampdoria, which would be harmed for no reason."