The death of a Parma fan on Sunday was not the result of violence between rival supporters, the club’s president has stated.
Matteo Bagnaresi was accidentally knocked down and killed by a bus, but his death caused the postponement of Parma’s match at Juventus.
Police said Parma and Juve fans were insulting each other at a service station on the way to Turin where the accident happened. Coach driver Siro Spolti, who was transporting Juve fans, did not see Bagnaresi when he set off again to avoid trouble.
Police sources said there was no evidence of any fighting and Parma President Tommaso Ghirardi was adamant his supporters were not violent.
“There are not fragments of bottles, there is nothing on the ground. I know the Parma lads well, our supporters are correct,” he told Gazzetta Dello Sport. “It is not because of fights. I passed the area 20 minutes before and I saw nothing.”
The bus driver is under investigation for manslaughter, although eyewitnesses claim the death was a result of an accident.
Media reports said Bagnaresi was a member of an ultra group and had only just been allowed to enter stadiums again after a three-year ban for a previous incident.
In November, Lazio fan Gabriele Sandri was shot and killed by a policeman following scuffles with Juve fans at another service station.
The incident sparked riots and the suspension of the league for a week.
