The controversy continues to drag on after the ugly scenes between Fiorentina fans and Luciano Spalletti, as the man who tried to slap the Napoli coach has been identified.
The game ended in a 0-0 draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, but at the final whistle Spalletti – who is from Florence and used to sit in the stands as a child cheering on the Viola – went to confront someone who had been hurling insults at him throughout the match from behind the bench.
Far from being apologetic, the fan tried to slap Spalletti and just failed to make full contact, while another supporter threw an empty bottle at the tactician’s head.
The man Spalletti was confronting has now been identified as a 50-year-old from Scandicci, in the province of Florence.
The Mayor of Scandicci, Sandro Fallani, spoke to Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli about the situation.
“I was at the match, I am a Fiorentina season ticket holder and what happened was shameful,” said the Mayor.
“What average football fans seem to lack is knowing where to reach the limit of sporting rivalry and how to hold back. I heard many offensive chants too.
“We are tired and must refute this sub-culture tied to football where violence is manifested everywhere. You go to the stadium to cheer on your team, maybe mock the opposition, but always with civilised behaviour.”
There was another incident that did the rounds on social media, where a child was spotted wearing a Napoli shirt inside out to avoid him being targeted by the Fiorentina fans around him.
Napoli player Matteo Politano commented on Radio Kiss Kiss that the incident was “nasty. As long as the abuse is aimed at us players and coaches, let’s just say we are used to it, but what happened in the stands is totally shameful.”
According to a Facebook post from a friend of the child’s father, it was a specific request from the stewards at the Stadio Franchi for the shirt to be turned inside out for fear of reprisal.
“The majority of Italian football fans are very civilised, but we must be allowed to take our children to the stadium without this sort of fear and worry,” added Mayor Fallani.
The silence in the comments to this is deafening.
@SL: Of course, because when this kind of garbage targets Napoli or Neapolitan people, culture, or history, it’s fine. If it were targeting someone from Ghana or Nigeria or Saudi Arabia the same way, however, it would be a wholllllle different thing.
these individuals are sub human and if they are not given life bans by the club and the Controlling body then they condone this behavior. The behavior you ignore is the behavior you accept as your standard. The more developed countries look at you and laugh.