The youth sector of Sicilian football is once again the scene of a serious act of violence. The Giovanissimi Elite Under 15 tournament match between Jonica FC and Katane Soccer, which ended 2-1 for the local team, was completely overshadowed by what happened immediately after the final whistle in the Bucalo municipal stadium in Santa Teresa di Riva, in the province of Messina.
An individual, so far unidentified, apparently crossed the protective barriers from the stands, rushed onto the pitch to attack the referee, a young boy from Messina belonging to the AIA section of Messina. The attacker allegedly reached the match director and struck him violently with a slap in the face, causing him to collapse on the field to the disbelief and general panic of players and spectators.
The carabinieri from the Forza d’Agrò station promptly arrived on site to start the necessary investigations. Taking advantage of the chaos following the attack, the person responsible managed to escape before the military arrived at the sports facility. The police are now analyzing the images of the video surveillance systems located near the entrances to the stadium to be able to identify the culprit in the next few hours.
Mother’s appeal
The pain and indignation of the family of the young Peloritan whistler is profound. The referee’s mother launched a heartfelt and harsh public appeal: “What I would like is for those who made the videos to hand them over to those responsible, but unfortunately silence always reigns supreme.” Furthermore, the young referee’s father was present at the match and accompanied him to the Papardo hospital for treatment. “He is in pain, he has tooth pain, but luckily nothing serious” says his mother.