Clashes between fans of Rome and Naples, clashes at the motorway service station where Gabriele Sandri died

A tremendous and chilling blast from the past. Fifteen years have passed since that accursed November 11, 2007, when agent Spaccarotella fired a shot that took the life of 26-year-old Gabriele Sandri, breaking the souls of mother Daniela, father Giorgio and brother Cristiano. For years, in all stadiums in Italy (and many in Europe), there has been a demand not only for justice, but also for respect for Gabbo. The Gabriele Sandri Foundation has always been very active in social matters, helping in many ways: every year, at the Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital in Rome, blood collections are organized in his name. Initiative that is repeated around the whole country. In the afternoon, however, thoughts returned to the tragedy. Blame the clashes between the fans of Rome and Naples. The scuffles broke out in the Badia al Pino service area, right where Gabriele was hit 15 years ago by the bullet fired by Spaccarotella.

THE CASE

—

The Sandri family did not want to comment on the incident, but the place where for years fans from all over Europe have stopped to pay tribute to the memory of the Lazio fan (as done in 2017, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Gabbo’s death, by fans of Nice, who, returning from a Europa League away match, left a banner there in his honour), has once again become the scene of violence. Closed the northern lane of the A1, with inevitable heavy repercussions on traffic. The Napoli ultras who were heading to Genoa for the match against Sampdoria in Marassi met and clashed with those of Roma, who were traveling towards Milan. Luckily the story didn’t end in tragedy as happened 15 years ago: Gabriele, at the time, was in the car with some friends, heading to San Siro where Lazio were supposed to challenge Inter. He was sleeping in the car, tired from an evening spent at the disco, where he was a DJ. He was lying on the back seat of the Renault Megane when two shots were fired from the other side of the roadway: the second went beyond the dividing grids of the two roadways, pierced the car window, hitting the boy in the neck. The friends, present in the same car, tried to plug the wound with a white and blue scarf, waiting for help. When help arrived, they tried to revive Sandri, in vain. Incidents broke out between fans and police all over the country, in Rome, in the late evening, a barracks in Ponte Milvio, near the Olympic stadium, was also attacked. The Court of Cassation sentenced the agent Spaccarotella to 9 years and 4 months in prison, in one of the saddest pages of the Italian crime news. Today, right in the Badia al Pino service area, our thoughts suddenly returned to that accursed November 11, 2007.