The measure, however, could not avoid the confrontation that is causing the most concern these days. On February 4, after the Roma-Empoli game, some 40 ultras from the Red Star of Belgrade attacked the Romanists of the historic Fedayn group in Piazza Mancini in the Italian capital, where they usually meet. They wounded two, stole several of their banners, and disappeared shortly after.
The group was in Italy for the basketball game against Olimpia Milano that took place two days before and what worries is the reason for the attack, absolutely unexpected. The Serbs are exactly twinned with the Neapolitans and, at the same time, they live a strong rivalry with the Croats of Dinamo Zagreb and the Greeks of Panathinaikos, both fans close, on the other hand, to the Romans. On March 10, in the Euroleague basketball, Panathinaikos and Red Star will face each other: the fear of a reckoning in Athens is enormous.
The danger of an absurd war of ultras with several sports and several countries involved is concrete. The Italian police are investigating to avoid it.
After the affront to the Fedayn group, one of the oldest in Italy (founded in 1972), Roman ultras ask for revenge for the theft of their banners and, according to ‘La Repubblica’, they are looking for “the traitor” who would have helped the Serbs to carry out the attack. The ultras of Inter condemned the events (“rivalries are lived face to face, not with unworthy acts”, “we condemn these senseless behaviors that can dangerously move the dynamics of rivalries to a field that does not belong to us, with rules without honor or loyalty”), and those from La Ternana did the same: “Not respecting certain values generates infamous behaviors They have nothing to do with our world. Those of Lazio, on the other hand, distanced themselves from their fellow citizens: “We live with total indifference a fan that has always insulted the dead […] we remember that the action took place in Piazza Mancini, meeting place of the ultras romanisti, and not 100 km from the stadium […] this historical shame does not concern us“.
The banners, as expected, reappeared in the background of the Marakàna during the Red Star-Čukarički on February 18. The ultras showed them for several minutes, also posting the message “you chose the wrong friends”. Soon after, they were burned.
The Neapolitans, meanwhile, made it clear that their friendship with the Red Star groups is more alive than ever. During the Naples-Cremonese on February 12, the ultras of Curve B hung a Serbian flag, yet another sign that the danger of an absurd war of ultras with several sports and several countries involved is concrete. The Italian police are investigating to avoid it. It won’t be easy.
