Portici fan in coma after Pozzuoli brawl, eight people arrested

The attack after the derby

On Sunday, 25 October, Puteolana and Portici played a derby in Pozzuoli, and the visiting Portici side won 2-0. After the final whistle, groups of supporters from the two clubs came into contact in the streets around the Domenico Conte stadium. A 34-year-old Portici supporter was struck on the head and collapsed. Early information reported by Il Messaggero describes masked ultras arriving in cars and attacking vehicles carrying visiting fans on their way back. Other reports say the man was hit while walking home near the entrances to the Tangenziale road, and that he was operated on overnight between 25 and 26 October.

Medical condition and family appeal

Doctors at the Santa Maria delle Grazie hospital in Pozzuoli performed emergency neurosurgery and then a CT scan. Rai News reports that he is in a pharmacological coma, and his prognosis remains strictly reserved. His sister said he is a father of two whose wife is expecting a child. In a video shared on social media, she urged the person responsible to turn himself in and said doctors had given the family no hope. On Monday, 26 October, the mayors of Pozzuoli and Portici, Luigi Manzoni and Claudio Teodonno, visited the victim in hospital and issued a joint statement.

“We are deeply shaken by what has happened.”

The mayors said they were ready to offer any necessary support to the man and his family.

Arrests and charges

Overnight between Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October, Polizia di Stato and Carabinieri arrested eight people, five adults and three minors. All of them are accused of aggravated brawl. A 19-year-old is suspected of striking the 34-year-old with a wooden bat, and according to reports he confessed to hitting him during the clashes. For that suspect, the accusation also includes grievous bodily harm. Prosecutors Siracusa and Regine coordinate the investigation. Rai News reports that investigators identified the suspects within hours using camera footage and witness statements.

Adults arrested5

Minors arrested3

Adults arrested

5 people

Minors arrested

3 people

Data from the article text

Scope of the investigation

About ten people had been identified in the first days, and some of them are minors, according to Fanpage. Investigators are trying to identify all of the roughly 40 people who took part, and they are reviewing witness statements and surveillance footage to establish individual responsibility. The Portici club said in a statement:

“Football can never and must never become a theatre of violence.”

The club added that sporting rivalry must stay on the pitch and must not turn into hatred or aggression. The victim's father told Il Messaggero that police should have handled security better both inside and outside the stadium, and said visiting supporters were released only minutes after the home crowd without an escort. The mayors asked the questore and the prefect for more prevention and patrols, and said the municipal police presence would be increased.