SSaturday evening, 7:45 p.m. on the pitch of SK Zillebeke in West Flanders. Fabio Schifano and his KSCT Menen teammates had just beaten the home team 0-4. Fabio, who was celebrating his 26th birthday, scored twice. But the party was about to turn into a tragedy.
As the players headed toward the stands, Fabio saw something rolling onto the field. “I thought it was smoke,” he explains to our colleagues at Het Laatste Nieuws from his hospital bed in Bruges. “It seemed dangerous to me. There were kids nearby… In a split second, I decided to pick this thing up and throw it away. » In reality, “this thing” is a Cobra 6, a firecracker as powerful as a grenade. “Barely two seconds later, there was an explosion,” he continues. “There was smoke everywhere. When it cleared, I saw a lot of blood and a few fingers were missing. I immediately understood: it wasn’t a smoke bomb…”
In intensive care
The Smur immediately took the young man in charge before taking him to Bruges. Fabio is still in intensive care. “My index finger is missing, as are half of my thumb and middle finger. They operated on my legs Saturday evening to remove the debris. On Sunday I also had two hand operations. The doctors said that this might not be the last operation and that my recovery would be long.” The unfortunate man will probably have to say goodbye to his job in construction. “Maybe I could return to my old job, in a private ambulance service…”
As for the launcher of Cobra 6, an explosive banned in Belgium, he surrendered to the police on Saturday evening. He is a 21-year-old boy from Wevelgem, occasional supporter of Fabio’s club. He risks a stadium ban and prosecution for involuntary battery resulting in permanent disability.
“I’ve already called him,” says Fabio, who is definitely a golden guy! “To tell him that I don’t hold a grudge against him and that he certainly shouldn’t worry too much.” He didn’t want to hurt anyone, I’m convinced…”
Belgium
