Daniele De Santis speaks, his is almost a regret that comes after almost 10 years. Better late than never.
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“Every day, in my cell, I think of Ciro Esposito. I don't deny that I also wished that the epilogue of this drama had the roles reversed. I regret having found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyone could have been in Ciro's place.”
The statements of the Roma ultra who killed the Napoli fan in 2014, released to the Adnkronos news agency, were relaunched by numerous sites linked to the fans of Roma and Napoli. His statements come after the clashes on the A1 between the two fan bases and after the decision to ban away games.
Daniele De Santis is serving a 16-year prison sentence for killing Napoli fan Ciro Esposito with a gunshot on May 3, 2014 in the clashes that preceded the Coppa Italia final between Fiorentina and Napoli.
“That day I also suffered numerous injuries but my attackers remained unknown and unpunished – he says – Today I am well, obviously as far as one can be well in the conditions in which I live and despite the enormous difficulties linked to the state of irreversible physical disability that I have been dragging along since that day.
I am saddened by what happened on the A1, everything that is happening today gives an image of football far from the true essence of this sport. If people lived the passion for football for what it is, as a moment of healthy competitive sharing and not considering the game only as a challenge to assert one's superiority over the 'opponent', certainly there would be no need to think of such incisive measures.
I realize, however, that they are necessary to contain all those degenerations that should not belong to the world of football". It is strange that De Santis himself, in prison for killing a boy with a gun during clashes between fans, today speaks of necessary measures and of football passion as a moment of healthy competitive sharing.
“This does not mean that I deny my love for a team or even the passion with which I have always lived the games of Magical Rome – he is quick to point out – but attachment, even the most passionate, should not lead to violence. Animosity and aggression are two different things. This is the lesson that I would like my experience to leave as a legacy”.
Seeing from prison what is still happening between the Napoli and Roma fans nine years later, the Giallorossi ultra De Santis says that “it is not a real 'war' between opposing fans” and that “it is not destined to last.
It is certainly a heated opposition – he explains – and it is not correct to generalise by speaking of this sport as a violent sport. I believe it is, more simply, a wrong approach to sports competition”.
The 'approach' that De Santis demonstrated on that tragic afternoon: "I delivered my truth during the trial - the ultra replies - in the place appointed to carry out the appropriate evaluations. Moreover, even if it does not seem to be consistent with the image that people have of me, as a believer I am convinced that the only true judgment will come in another life. I await the final sentence there".
Daniele De Santis: “In prison I had a lot of time to think about my life”
“In prison I had a lot of time to think about my life. From that day on I found myself with a broken leg and the almost total detachment of my right foot that shortened my limb by 6 centimeters. I suffered 5 stab wounds, fractured ribs and nose, a lacerated-contused wound on my forehead with a permanent scar.
I suffer from osteomyelitis that should be constantly monitored through periodic scintigraphy and control tests. But in prison, due to the shortcomings inherent in the penitentiary structure, which is certainly not a nursing home, I am unable to benefit from all the health services that I would have been able to access in a state of freedom. I should do physiotherapy consistently but I have not done any type of rehabilitation for three years”.
And does he still follow his team? “Now in prison I limit myself to following the football results and watching the games that can be watched free-to-air. The world of football – says De Santis – with its protagonists, has transformed into a show business where salaries and sponsors rule more than championships and cups.
Daniele De Santis: “I would like my story to be a lesson to avoid other tragedies”
It has become a real market, with companies listed on the stock exchange. Fortunately, there are still football clubs, first of all AS Roma, that give space to the dreams of those who grow up with the ball and that try to facilitate the entry of families into the stadium, so as to preserve the true sense of football faith.
I am thinking above all of the kids who are passionate about football, I would like my legal case to be a lesson for them to avoid tragedies like the one that happened to Ciro Esposito from happening again”.
Article published on 10 February 2023 - 13:12
