Brighton fans stabbed by masked gang during robbery in Rome ahead of Europa League clash

Two Brighton fans have been stabbed by a masked gang during a robbery while out in Rome ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash.

As per ilmessaggero, two Brighton fans who had travelled to Rome for the game experienced a terrifying ordeal in the Monti neighbourhood, around midnight, after being attacked by a group of seven individuals wearing hoods.

The assailants stabbed the Englishmen three times in the legs on the street Via Cavour and then proceeded to rob them of their belongings, including wallets and documents.

Thankfully, a restaurant worker came across the injured fans and quickly alerted the authorities with the Esquilino police station dispatching officers to the scene and are currently reviewing the footage from nearby surveillance cameras in an effort to identify the perpetrators.

One of the victims, a 28-year-old, was transported to San Giovanni hospital with three minor stab wounds on his left thigh, while the other, a 29-year-old, was taken to the Umberto Primo Polyclinic by emergency services, as he had sustained multiple stab wounds to his right thigh.

PC Darren Balkham, Sussex Police liaison officer for the club, wrote on Twitter: “We are aware of the incident reported in Italian media last night. Have spoken to both Brighton fans who are ok.”

Meanwhile, @joeythorpe96 tweeted: “Me and a couple of my mates got attacked in Rome last night after leaving a bar. Just want to say that every Brighton fan in Rome please be careful. It’s so dangerous out here and worse than Marseille. #bhafc”

Another fan also on the North Stand Chat fan forum that he was “stuck in a hospital corridor for six hours” waiting to be treated wasn’t too badly hurt.

Brighton are working with the British consulate and have also advised fans not to wear club colours during their trip in Italy.

After being stabbed in Rome last night, Brighton fan @Jackalbion96 has made it to the Stadio Olympico to watch the game tonight. 👏

He needed 10 stitches, so glad he’s up on his feet and ok. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/SdSxd7FczC

— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) March 7, 2024

We all love @Jackalbion96 ❤️ #BHAFC pic.twitter.com/EIGPw3KENO

— lemmybhafc (@LemmyG10) March 7, 2024

Brighton were warned over the atmosphere even they departed for Italy, with Roma coach Daniele De Rossi saying that the atmosphere may be more intense than Brighton fans would typically be accustomed to.

“I think that for any footballer it is very nice to play here in Stadio Olimpico,” he said.

“Brighton are also used to playing in full stadiums in the Premier League, but I think that here the heat will be a little higher than they are used to. It is up to us to make our fans happy.”

Roberto De Zerbi’s men travel to the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday evening for their Europa League last-16 first-leg clash. It is suggested that around 4,000 fans have made the trip to the Italian capital to watch the Seagulls in action.

Speaking ahead of the first leg, Italian boss De Zerbi said: “We’ll see tomorrow whether the stadium will intimidate us or not, we played at Old Trafford and we won, we drew 2-2 in Marseille, we played at AEK Athens and we won. I know the push of the Olimpico, let’s see tomorrow, it will be a test for us.

“I believe that we need to be given even more strength, I have been coaching for 10 years and I have changed five or six teams, I feel that these Brighton players are temperamentally closer to me in terms of pride, hunger and dignity, motivation, values, in how they experience football.

“The old and the young live football like me, I’m confident but the pitch will decide. Regarding injuries, I’d say that it is a topic to be taken in two ways, either we cry and say how many important players we have out, or we take it as an opportunity because we aim to go through and compete with all these injured players.

“Nobody gives us a guarantee that with Mitoma, Joao Pedro, March, Milner, or with Enciso in form we will get through, I don’t want to hear about injuries, we have enough for tomorrow.”

The return leg with Roma is set to take place next Thursday at the Amex Stadium. Brighton secured their spot in the knockout rounds after topping a group that included Marseille, Ajax and AEK Athens. The Seagulls lost just one of their six group games.

SEE MORE: Fans left divided by new Champions League, Europa League and Conference League format

Twitter users reacted after hearing that Brighton fans have been stabbed by a masked gang during a robbery in Rome ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash…

@Ricky5113952342: Disgusting to hear the news that 2 Brighton fans have been stabbed in Rome, just going to watch a football match. Roma should be kicked out of the Europa!

@Matt1LFC9: Horrific scumbags. They need to play behind closed doors at home and shouldn’t be any tickets for away games

@Brodie_1988: Italian football fans are pretty scummy are they? 2 Brighton fans stabbed last night by Roma fans. Atalanta fans attacking our lot with weapons last night when we aren’t even playing them.

@Barbsmfc86: This seems like every time an English team plays them. When will football authorities start taking action and remove Roma and when will the Police in Italy start to take responsibility

@SouleLeigh: Every time an English club travel to Italy this is always the outcome. It’s about time these Italian clubs are punished. If this was the other way round English fans would be getting punished

@billy_bamber_95: Swear this happens every time a team plays in Italy in European competitions, when are @UEFAcom going to step up and ban all Italian clubs from competition.

@ben_lambert84: Always Italian teams causing issues in Europe yet never a ban. @UEFA are you actually going to start banning them or is that only reserved for if an English team does it.

@AndrewL98: How long will Uefa let Italian football hooligans get away with this without any European bans? The fact you’re told you can’t wander round Italian cities wearing club colours and have to be ferried to and from the ground on a chartered coach is ridiculous

@WHYLER_FOREST: Happens every time in Italy, get rid of the wankers

@GaryFielden: How do they keep getting away with it?

@D124Orbit: Count myself lucky as I only got told off by a machine gun holding military bloke for being drunk… at 10pm 🤣 #BHAFC

@Trickypig74: Rome again. If any English city had seen the numerous attacks on these scales over so many years, they’d be banned from hosting games by UEFA…

@creativeskg: Shocking that this is STILL happening!! Thoughts with the fans and their families.

@DaveShaw25: Brighton fans out there stay safe and be vigilant. Shit hearing about this, this morning. #BHAFC

@SamTweets95: English football fans always get a horrendous reputation but European fans are 10x worse. You don’t see many Italian/French fans getting stabbed here. Hope the 2 Brighton fans are ok!

@becky196734: Seems to happen all the time over there and nothing is done. I went with Leeds in 1998, we were given a list of prohibited items, including shoe laces, that were banned from the ground. Inside the ground the Roma fans were firing rocket fireworks at us

@MrEnrich70: To the Brighton fans: to move safely around in Rome, stay in large groups / never alone or with 2 at night / the ‘stabbers’ always search for small groups or individuals to ‘strike’ / be safe and win tonight ⚪️🔵🦅