ROME, Italy – A basketball game between Real Sebastiani Rieti and Astra Pistoia in Italy turned tragic after the driver of a bus carrying Pistoia fans was killed. The bus was hit by a hail of stones while returning from a road trip on the Rieti-Terni highway.
According to an official statement from Real Sebastiani, the incident occurred on Sunday evening, after the match. Unidentified assailants attacked the bus with stones and bricks, shattering a window and fatally injuring the reserve driver.
The statement read: “We may never be able to fully comprehend what happened last night. The hours pass, and the tragedy grows more bitter and mysterious. Out of respect for the victim and his loved ones, we have decided to impose a media blackout until further notice.”
Prime Minister: “An unacceptable criminal act”
In her first official comment, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni strongly condemned the attack, describing it as “a violent, unacceptable, and insane act.”
Meloni wrote on social media: “I express my deepest condolences to the victim’s family and my sympathy to those who witnessed this tragedy. I am confident that those responsible for this cowardly act will be swiftly identified and brought to justice.”
Taiani: “What does this have to do with sports?”
For his part, Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, considered the incident to reflect a dangerous decline in societal values. He questioned the relationship between this type of violence and sports.
He said: “For a human being to be killed in this way means that we disregard life itself. After what we saw in the clashes in Pisa, we cannot stand idly by in the face of this cycle of violence. This has nothing to do with sport or its values.”
Lazio joins as a civil party in the case
In a legal escalation, the president of the Lazio region, Francesco Rocca, announced that the region would join the legal proceedings as a civil party in the case. This comes in defense of the values of sport and society.
“We condemn this brutal act, which in no way represents the values of sport or the city of Rieti,” Rocca said in an official statement. “It is essential that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and held accountable.”
Intensive investigations and widespread solidarity
Italian authorities continue to investigate the incident, amid widespread calls for the perpetrators to be swiftly arrested and held accountable. Sports clubs, public figures, and government agencies have unanimously agreed that sports-related violence is no longer tolerated. It poses a threat to public safety and the values of coexistence.
Several Italian basketball league clubs also expressed their solidarity with the victim’s family, calling for “an end to all forms of sports fanaticism and fan-related violence.”
شهدت إيطاليا في السنوات الأخيرة تصاعدا في أعمال العنف المرتبطة بالجماهير الرياضية. تتنوع هذه الأعمال بين شجارات واعتداءات وتخريب وتخويف. دفع ذلك جهات رسمية إلى المطالبة بمراجعة سياسات الأمن في الفعاليات الرياضية. كما يطالبون بفرض عقوبات مشددة على الأفراد والمجموعات المتورطة.
