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Napoli claimed their fifth Italian Cup in Rome on Saturday night, but the 3-1 win over Fiorentina was overshadowed by a shooting on the outskirts of the capital. One fan was in a serious condition in hospital afterwards.
Napoli’s Italian Cup win on Saturday night was delayed by around 45 minutes, and briefly looked set for outright cancellation, after three club supporters sustained bullet wounds before kick-off. Fans in the stadium, pictured above, released flares and were noticeably restless as news of the violence on the outskirts of Rome spread.
Domestic news agency ANSA later reported that one Napoli supporter was shot in the back and underwent emergency surgery to remove a bullet from near his spinal chord. The 30-year-old’s condition was described by doctors as “critical but stable.” Two other Napoli supporters, aged 43 and 32, suffered bullet wounds to the right hand and arm respectively, while a local Rome resident and Roma supporter was also hospitalized.
Initial reports on who fired the first shots, or why, conflicted considerably. Yet the game always bore the potential for violence, as thousands of fans of Napoli and Fiorentina descended on Rome – the home of other major Italian clubs Roma and Lazio.
“It’s not the first time I’ve seen this. I experienced it when I was playing at Roma,” Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella said after the game, referring to a 2004 Rome derby between Roma and Lazio when fans rioted and demanded the match be canceled in response to false rumors suggesting a young fan had been killed by police.
“But unfortunately this is what Italian football is like. And it’s a shame because there’s a risk that players, including Italian players, will opt to play elsewhere,” Montella said. “A cup final should be a spectacle, a sporting event that everyone can celebrate.”
Napoli fan influence called into question
When news of the shooting filtered through to the stadium, shortly before kick-off, the match was delayed. Match organizers then ushered Napoli captain Marek Hamsik over to the sidelines to speak to leading fan representatives, after which the delayed start time was announced.
A large block of Napoli fans watched the match in near-total silence in protest and some firecrackers and pyrotechnics were thrown in Rome’s Olympic Stadium, injuring a firefighter.
Napoli club president Aurelio De Laurentis denied claims after the game that the club’s hard-line “ultra” fans had too much influence on the decision to play the game.
“What fan? Who was the fan that decided the cup final should be played,” De Laurentis asked reporters. “I think they decided to play the match because they couldn’t have done anything else. Even if were were late, we fulfilled our obligation.” De Laurentis also called it a “sign of responsibility” from organizers and fans to discuss the issue without the need for police involvement.
Insigne does the damage early, Fiorentina rally
On the pitch, Italy’s national team coach Cesare Prandelli likely enjoyed watching the action. Two strikers potentially in Prandelli’s World Cup plans shone on the night.
Goran Pandev couldn’t find a way past Neto, but his strike partner Insigne did twice
Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne scored an early double, within 20 minutes of kick-off, a lead that Fiorentina never neutralized despite gathering a growing foothold in the game. Despite his strong league form, Insigne is still considered something of an outside shot for the Italian squad in Brazil, but his club coach Rafael Benitez said after the cup win: “He should be going to the World Cup, no problem.”
One of Insigne’s potential attacking rivals for plane tickets to Brazil, Fiorentina’s long-injured Giuseppi Rossi, made a second-half substitute appearance – raising hopes that he might recover in time for the World Cup.
After the Insigne double, Peruvian Juan Vargas pulled a goal back for Fiorentina after 28 minutes. A 45th minute goal for the Viola, from Alberto Aquilani, was ruled out for offside.
Fiorentina’s late dominance grew in the 79th minute, when Napoli midfielder Gokhan Inler was sent off for a second bookable offense. But after a golden 85th-minute chance at an equalizer, missed by Josip Ilicic, Napoli sub Dries Mertens scored a stoppage time goal to make the score 3-1 and put the result beyond any doubt.
Napoli, currently third in the Italian Serie A league table, have won the Coppa Italia five times.
msh/lw (AFP, AP, Reuters)
