Naples – A packed church, tears, applause and the pain of an entire community accompanied the last farewell to Diego DeVivo, the 14-year-old who disappeared last Wednesday during a training session with the football school Naples Cantera.
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The funeral took place in the early afternoon at the Church of San Giuseppe in Agnano, where family, friends, teammates and ordinary citizens gathered to pay tribute to the young man.
At the entrance to the church, an urn was placed to leave messages of remembrance, while inside a long line of people waited their turn to approach the coffin, covered with numerous football shirts, including those of Napoli, Diego's favorite team.
The Ultras Curva A group of Napoli was also present
The organized fans wanted to be present, with banners and floral tributes. Among the wreaths there was also that of the Ultras of the Curve A, while members of Curva B displayed a banner outside the church with the words «Hi Diego». Many fans wore a white T-shirt with the writing «Diego Lives», as a sign of closeness to the family.
During the ceremony, the priest addressed words of comfort to those present:
"Diego was and will always be one of us. Today he plays a new game, without time and without recovery, on a pitch that has the dimensions of the sky", he said in the homily.
The school attended by the young man also wanted to remember him with a touching message:
"Diego, your absence hurts us greatly, but your smile will remain alive in our hearts. We embrace your family in this inexplicable pain".
As the coffin came out, amidst tears and applause, some of the bodies were released into the sky. white doves. Then, the final greeting: a spontaneous chorus, started by the organized cheering groups, chanted loudly: «Diego lives with us».
Article published on 2 April 2025 - 16:51
It was a very touching moment to see all those people at the church. The community has shown great affection for Diego, but there are many things that are unclear about his disappearance and safety in training.
I agree, it is important to understand what happened and how similar tragedies can be avoided in the future. Safety must be a priority in all football schools and beyond.
Yes, in fact we need more attention in managing training for young people. We cannot allow events like this to happen again, we need greater vigilance and preparation.