Napoli star has shorts stolen by fan and left furious before on-pitch fight

05 May 2023 , 09:22

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Raspadori is robbed of his shorts by a fan

The joy of helping his club seal a first Scudetto in 33 years was soon taken away from Giacomo Raspadori - along with his shorts!

The forward, on loan from Sassuolo, has made 20 league appearances for Napoli this season, although was an unused substitute as his team drew 1-1 at Udinese on Thursday to make sure of the Serie A title. In the chaos that followed, away fans let off flares and stormed onto the pitch where players and coaches were mobbed.

But one fan got a little too hands on for the 23-year-old. Rather than just hug and high-five the Italy international, one male supporter opted to pull his shorts down and then take off with them, leaving the player visibly angry as others moved to calm him down.

And there was little time for Raspadori to get them back either. Promptly after the incident, Udinese ultras proceeded to chase players off the pitch, before violent scenes saw fans attack each other with batons and belts as anti-riot police battled to diffuse matters.

But it wasn't just Raspadori who failed to see the funny side. Video footage of the 'steal' went viral on social media, with the majority of football fans left questioning the point of what transpired.

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"Raspadori looks visibly p****d. the fans have done nothing but ruin the celebrations for the players so far," said one. Another joked: "'Get in there, we've just won the league........ Whose shorts can I force them to take off' Come on, who's first thought isn't that?"

The player was clearly angry after the incident

Back in Naples, however, the consequences of the title celebrations proved far more severe. Police directives not to release fireworks were widely ignored, but the street partying was tainted by tragedy with one man killed and a further 200 injured.

A male aged 26 died after being hit by a bullet fired from a gun during the street parties. Three others individuals - including his girlfriend - were also injured in the incident, with police now investigating the circumstances.

Paramedics were called to the scene in the Ponticelli area of the Neapolitan city around an hour after the final whistle had sounded. Police have confirmed that the victim was found on the ground bleeding along with the three injured parties, but are also investigating the possibility that the incident was not related to the football celebrations.

Fraser Watson