Valerio Antonini, the president of both Trapani calcio and Trapani Shark basketball club, was attacked by a known supporter in the historic centre of the Sicilian city on Saturday morning, leaving him with a fractured rib.
According to a statement from Trapani calcio, Antonini had just stepped out of his car in a small piazza when he was set upon by an individual described as "a well-known figure in the organised fanbase". The assailant struck Antonini with punches and kicks before fleeing the scene.
An ambulance rushed the 54-year-old entrepreneur to Sant'Antonio Abate hospital, where medical examinations revealed a fractured rib. He was discharged later in the day and immediately went to the police station in Trapani, where investigators have opened a case. Local media report a prognosis of ten days.
The attack comes at the end of a tumultuous period for Antonini's sporting interests. Trapani Shark were recently expelled from the Serie A basketball league after the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) revoked their affiliation. Meanwhile, Trapani calcio were relegated to Serie D - the fourth tier of Italian football - following a series of points deductions imposed by sports justice authorities. Antonini's decision to move Trapani's home matches to Palermo's Velodromo, amid an unresolved dispute over the management of the Stadio Provinciale, had further inflamed tensions with supporters.
Trapani calcio issued a strongly worded statement condemning the assault: "FC Trapani 1905 expresses its firmest and most absolute condemnation for the extremely serious episode of violence that occurred against president Valerio Antonini. It was a veritable ambush, vile and premeditated, perpetrated by a subject well known to the organised Trapani fanbase."
The club added: "Whoever thinks they can intimidate, strike or influence through violence will always find a firm, resolute and unequivocal response. Football is a passion that cannot and must not be tainted by criminal episodes of this magnitude."
Police are continuing their investigations and searching for the assailant.
Sources
- https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/altri-campionati/25-07-2026/aggredito-valerio-antonini-presidente-trapani-calci-pugni-tifoso.shtml
- https://trapanioggi.it/aggredito-il-presidente-valerio-antonini-indagini-in-corso/
