Roman Politicians Outraged Over Video Of Supposed Soccer Fan Peeing On Homeless Woman

What was already a bad week for asshole soccer fans in Europe got worse yesterday, after video that appears to show a group of men—allegedly Sparta Prague fans in town for their team’s Europa League match against Lazio—tormenting and abusing a homeless woman, with one even urinating on her.

According to Spanish sports daily Marca, a Spanish tourist was walking down the Ponte Sant’Angelo on a visit to Rome when he saw a group of men surround a beggar. At first, a couple of the men walked up on her while pretending to urinate. As the larger group started leaving, one man, seen in the video below, apparently actually did begin peeing on the woman:

It was after the video was posted online that someone pegged the men as Sparta Prague fans—an allegation that has yet to be corroborated. However, since the circumstances on their face do line up with that story—a group of apparently foreign men, traveling in a pack, not far from Lazio’s Stadio Olimpico, behaving in a manner completely devoid of even the vaguest notion of human decency, etc.—it makes sense that this plausible story has been widely accepted.

Here’s what Roberto Giachetti, a candidate for mayor of Rome, had to say about the (supposed) Sparta fans’ behavior, as reported by ANSA:

“I’d like it if those so-called fans of Sparta Prague who urinated on a beggar and had the courage to immortalise themselves on Youtube never again set foot in an Italian stadium, starting with the (Stadio) Olimpico (in Rome). [...] I hope that they are identified as soon as possible. Soccer cannot be an excuse to come to Rome and commit abominable acts”.

Another mayoral candidate also weighed in:

Virginia Raggi, the mayor candidate for the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, said the incident was a breach of human rights and said that, if she won, the M5S would take action to ensure “the doors of the city are closed to these beast fans”.

Presumably—and especially coming after the beggar mistreatment days earlier by PSV fans in Madrid—UEFA will weigh in on all this at some point, even if it’s just to determine if the urinator was in fact a Sparta fan. Regardless of the specifics here, I think it’s probably safe to say that soccer fans are still the worst.

[ Marca | ANSA]

Photo via Youtube