A devastating incident has occurred in Italy where a bus driver has tragically died after the coach he was traveling on, carrying supporters of the Pistoia Basket team, was targeted with stones. The attack, reportedly carried out by fans of a rival team, SRS Sebastiani Rieti, took place on the highway near Rieti, located northeast of Rome.
Fans of the Tuscany-based Pistoia were returning home after their team’s victory in a second-tier match between the two clubs when the unprovoked assault began. A large stone was thrown, smashing through the bus’s windscreen and striking one of the drivers on the head. Raffaele Marianella, 65, who was seated at the front of the bus but not driving at the time, succumbed to his injuries.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni strongly condemned the act, calling it “an unacceptable and insane act of violence” and extended her condolences to the victim’s family. She pledged that those responsible would be brought to justice. An investigation by the police is currently underway to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
Italy’s Sports Minister Andrea Abodi echoed these sentiments, describing the attack as a “shocking assault” by “criminals who have turned into murderers and can never be called fans.” Gianni Petrucci, president of the Italian national basketball federation (Federbasket), stated emphatically, “This is not about basketball. These are criminals,” and vowed to cooperate fully with legal authorities in response to the incident. He lamented, “They are murderers, people with no present and no future,” in an interview with RAI.
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