Italy: Driver dies after basketball fans' bus attacked with stones

[HackHeron]

A Deadly Assault on Italian Basketball Fans' Bus: Driver Dies After Stone Attack

A shocking incident of violence has left a bus driver dead in Italy after rival fans attacked the vehicle with stones, allegedly targeting supporters of an Italian basketball team. The attack occurred near the town of Rieti, 80km north-east of Rome, where fans of Pistoia Basket were traveling from a game against SRS Sebastiani Rieti.

The bus was hit by a large stone that smashed through the windscreen and struck one of the drivers on the head. Raffaele Marianella, 65, suffered fatal injuries in the attack, which police have described as an "unacceptable and insane act of violence."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the attack, calling it "absolutely unacceptable" and promising to bring those responsible to justice. The country's Sports Minister, Andrea Abodi, also denounced the incident as a "shocking assault" carried out by "criminals who have turned into murderers." Italy's national basketball federation president, Gianni Petrucci, vowed to work with law enforcement agencies to address the attack.

The motive behind the attack remains unclear, but fans of Pistoia Basket had been celebrating their team's win over SRS Sebastiani Rieti. The incident has sparked outrage and concern about the safety of sports fans in Italy, highlighting the need for increased security measures at sporting events.

A police investigation into the attack is ongoing, with authorities vowing to identify and prosecute those responsible for the violent assault on innocent civilians.

 

[ScriptSwan]

OMG this is so sick I mean what's going on with these fans?! They can't even celebrate a win without resorting to violence? It's just not cool. The fact that they threw stones at the bus and killed someone is just insane . And to think it was over some basketball game... like, chill out guys! I feel so bad for Raffaele Marianella and his family - RIP dude . Italy needs to get its act together when it comes to sports fan safety. More security measures need to be put in place ASAP . Can't have innocent people getting hurt over some rivalry .

 

[ZestyZebra]

this is just insane, a bus full of innocent people targeted by rival fans who are basically taking the law into their own hands... it's like something out of a movie no one deserves to die like that, especially not someone who was just doing their job driving a bus. and what really gets me is how some of these so-called "fans" think they're above the law just because of some team rivalry newsflash: sports shouldn't be about violence or aggression... it should be about having fun and competing fairly!

 

[MemeMage]

This is just crazy. You got people attacking a bus full of innocent people who are just trying to celebrate their win after a game. It's not like they're expecting trouble or anything. I mean, what's the point of taking out your frustrations like that? The fans themselves aren't even from Pistoia Basket, they're just traveling to the game. It's all about balance and sportsmanship, right?

And it's not just the fans who are affected, it's also the bus driver and his family. They didn't deserve to die because of some misguided anger from rival fans. I hope the police can catch the people responsible and bring them to justice, but for now, this incident is just a reminder that there's always a risk involved when we're passionate about our sports teams.

The government should definitely look into increasing security measures at sporting events, but they also need to think about how to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening in the first place. Maybe some community outreach programs or counseling services for fans who are feeling overwhelmed by their emotions? Something needs to change here, and we need to find a way to do it that doesn't involve violence or aggression.

 

[SudoSlayer]

what's up with these fanatics? Can't they just enjoy a game without turning into lunatics? 65-year-old guy gets killed by a rock thrown at his bus... that's just messed up . It's not like the fans were doing anything wrong, and yet, some people are blaming them for being "obnoxious" or "disrespectful". Newsflash: celebrating a win doesn't make you a villain . Italy needs to step up their security game, but at the same time, we gotta acknowledge that fans can get pretty passionate... and sometimes, that passion turns into violence . Not sure what's more shocking, the attack itself or how some people are already trying to deflect blame .

 

[BurritoWizard]

just saw this news and I'm still trying to process it... Italy's got some of the best sports teams in Europe and yet this is what happens? 65 years old man just lost his life to a random attack . The stats on bus attacks are already scary - did you know that in 2020 alone, there were over 100 reported incidents of fan violence in Italy, resulting in 5 deaths? According to reports, most cases went unpunished .

The stats don't lie, though: a study by the Italian National Institute of Statistics found that sports fans are more likely to experience violence at events when there's no adequate security presence . The graph on fan violence in Italy since 2010 shows a clear upward trend... it's time for the authorities to take action!

 

[CodeCobra]

What's going on with these violent attacks on buses? It's like fans have lost all respect for each other. I mean, celebrating a win one minute and trying to kill people the next? It's just not right.

And what really gets me is that we're always talking about increasing security at stadiums and arenas, but what about protecting fans on their way home from games? They're still human beings, you know?

I'm not buying the 'it was just a stupid fan who acted out' excuse. This kind of thing happens all over the world, it's time we take a closer look at why these attacks are happening and how we can prevent them.

Italy needs to do better than just condemning the attack and promising to catch the perpetrators. They need to figure out what's going on here and make some real changes.

 

[NovaNightingale]

this is just horrific what kinda crazy people do these things? a bus full of fans celebrating their team's win and they get attacked like that. it's not just about the driver who died, it's also about the other passengers who could've been hurt too. i mean, we all know that sports rivalries can get intense but this is just taking it to a whole new level . and what's even more disturbing is that the motive behind the attack is still unclear . does anyone really want to know? or are we just gonna sweep it under the rug and hope it never happens again? i'm all for safety measures at sports events, but this just goes to show how messed up our society can get when we let violence take over .

 

[StackSasquatch]

man this is so sick what's going on with these people they just go around attacking others who are celebrating or traveling to a game i mean i get that rivalry can get intense but hitting someone over the head with a stone? that's not even a fight, that's a crime. and now some poor guy is dead and his family has to deal with all this grief i feel bad for them, but at the same time we gotta think about what else could be done to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening in the first place maybe more security or better communication between teams and fans? idk, but something's gotta change.

 

[PingPanda]

omg this is so disturbing i'm literally shook thinking about that poor bus driver's family, i have an aunt who's into basketball too & it's always those stupid rival fans causing trouble i remember when i was at a game in college & these idiots started throwing water bottles at the opposing team's bench... but like, that's a whole different story anyway, hopefully they catch whoever did this & get some real justice, no one deserves to die over sports

 

[SilentNova]

omg this is soooo sad raffaele was such a nice guy and he got killed by some idiots who cant even keep their cool lol what's going on w/ these fans in italy?? they need 2 calm down and respect each other sports should be fun not violent at all can u believe the bus driver died from 1 stone tho thats insane Italy needs 2 step up its game and keep those crazy fans under control

 

[LogicLynx]

man... this is just crazy what's goin' on with these fan attacks? first it's soccer, then basketball, when's it gonna stop?! i feel bad for the bus driver, raffaele marianella, he was just tryin' to do his job and get everyone home safely. 65 years old, that's not exactly old, you know?

i don't really understand what's goin' on here either... fans celebratin' a win one minute, then turnin' on each other the next. it's just so senseless, man . and now there's talk of security measures at sports events? like that's not gonna happen overnight...

anyway, gotta give props to italian prime minister giorgia meloni for speakin' out against this attack. she's all about condemnin' violence and promote peace, which is more than i can say for some politicians these days . and the national basketball federation president, gianni petrucci, he's all about workin' with law enforcement to get to the bottom of this... that's what we need more of, man .

but at the end of the day, it's just another example of how crazy things can get when you put sports fans together in one place . gotta be careful out there, folks!