Several dozen Monegasque fans were attacked by Bologna supporters on Tuesday evening after the Champions League match between the two teams (0-1). Contacted by RMC Sport, a witness to this ambush saw the scene in detail. He insists on the fact that it was “ordinary” and non-violent supporters, divided into small groups of three or four, who were taken to task.
The Monaco celebration was somewhat spoiled. Tuesday evening, after the Principality club's great victory on the Bologna pitch on the fourth day of the Champions League (1-0), several dozen ASM supporters were attacked. The information, relayed by the Italian press, was confirmed to RMC Sport by a witness at the scene.
>> Relive Bologna-Monaco (0-1)
After waiting a good half hour in the visitors' parking lot, the time for the stands of the Renato-Dall'Ara stadium to empty, the nearly 400 Monegasque fans were able to leave the Bolognese enclosure. While the majority of ASM supporters returned to their bus, those who came on their own headed towards the city center on foot. That's when the incident happened, a few hundred meters from the stadium.
“We walked quietly under large arches,” recalls Florian, 30, who came to encourage Adi Hütter’s men in the company of his girlfriend. “Most of the supporters had come by bus, but some, like us, were heading back towards the city. We were singing nicely, in small groups of three or four. At one point, there was an explosion, it made a noise of an agricultural bomb and at a crossroads, a group of people dressed in black, hooded, arrive. I see them in the distance, they have things in their hands without me being able to identify what they are. There was a movement of the crowd in the opposite direction. What I mainly saw was Monegasque supporters running towards us and in the background some guys dressed in black who seemed to want to fight.”
According to the Italian press, the attackers were around twenty. They were armed with bars and belts. In panic, the Monegasque supporters retraced their steps towards the stadium and came across the police. Faced with this wave of panic, the police headed towards the scene of the attack.
The fans attacked are “ordinary supporters”
Two Monegasque supporters suffered hand injuries and were taken to hospital to be examined, local media report. “One of them told us that he had been hit with an iron bar,” recalls Florian. “They told us that the guys had tumbled out of the crossroads, it was a form of ambush. The Bolognese would have thrown an agricultural bomb when the Monegasques passed before attacking them.”
After this attack, Monaco supporters were escorted by the police. “They watched us the whole time. They were super present,” underlines Florian, who admits to having had “a great scare”, particularly because of the movement of the crowd. “It pretty much broke the post-match euphoria.”
What is also striking is the profile of the Monegasque supporters attacked. “It was not a hard core of ultras, but ordinary supporters,” says Florian. “We were in groups of three or four, nothing organized, it was not a post-match procession. These were those who had come without an official trip, as a couple or with friends.” In its report, the Italian police confirm that the attacked supporters belong to the “no risk” category.
According to Ansa, the main Italian press agency, six Italian supporters were identified and one was arrested by the police. The others managed to escape during the police intervention.
Felix Gabory Journalist RMC Sport
