Roma chief blasts 'moron' fans over Liverpool assault

Milan (AFP) – Roma chairman James Pallotta on Saturday blasted the ‘moron’ fans tarnishing the club’s reputation as a Liverpool fan fights for his life after being attacked before a Champions League clash at Anfield last week.

“99.9 percent of our fans are the best fans in the world. It’s just a couple of f****** morons who take the rest of us down,” said American Pallotta on Roma’s Twitter account.

“We have a long history at Roma and you have a few stupid people destroying our history and attacking our legacy and I’m tired of it.”

Two Italian men were charged on Thursday in connection with an assault which left a 53-year-old Liverpool fan in a critical condition.

Sean Cox, an Irishman and father of three, is in a Liverpool hospital after suffering a serious head injury following the attack by Roma fans ahead of last Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg.

“My prayers are for Sean and his family but it’s time now for things to change in Italy and in Rome, because it is just happening too much,” said billionaire Pallotta, who runs the Raptor private investment group in the United States.

“These games are great but they’re not life and death. What’s going on with Sean Cox in Liverpool is life and death.”

Video footage emerged on social media showing Roma thugs, dressed in black and with hoods and masks over their faces, carrying hammers and belts as weapons which they used to attack Liverpool supporters.

Liverpool won the game 5-2. The return is next Wednesday in Rome.