Report journalist Federico Ruffo, who suffered an attempted arson attack, laments “the hatred that comes out when it comes to football” as “I’m a Juventus fan”.
The Rai 3 programme investigated links between the ‘Ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia, and Juventus ultras groups.
There was also the death of Juventus fan Raffaello Bucci, who had been working for the club, but also collaborating with police.
It was ruled to be a suicide, but wiretaps suggest he could've been threatened before jumping off a bridge.
This week someone attempted to burn down Ruffo’s house, but a dog barking raised the alarm and the arsonists ran off.
“In many years between Report and Presadiretta I have dealt with many topics, but something like that had never happened to me,” Ruffo told Il Fatto Quotidiano.
“The problem isn’t so much that you can’t touch the ultras, but the hatred that comes out when it comes to football, being a fan makes anything legitimate.
“On social media people have written to me to say they hope the ‘Ndrangheta complete the job, that they’re sorry it didn’t succeed.
“Others tell me not to speculate about the attempted fire, because the mafia wouldn’t bother with ‘a piece of **** like me’.
“Luckily I feel protected by the police and my company, but more than physical violence what scares me is people’s hatred.
“That won’t go away and I have no means of defending myself, every time I write something, which will have my name on, I’ll have to deal with these absurd attacks, mostly from Juventus fans.
“The pitch has nothing to do with me, as aside from anything else I’ve always been a Juventus fan.
“It’s absurd for fans to blame me for facts which concern the ultras, the underworld and directors. But on the other hand they’ve been whipped up by blogs and social media which have been discrediting the investigation.
“I certainly don’t want to second guess those who are investigating, but I think it may have been some fanatic and not an organised group.
“Five years ago I did an inquest into football but there was no violent reaction, maybe because it involved teams less important than Juventus.
“Ever since we announced the programme would air, Sigfrido Ranucci and I have received threats, especially on social media.
“At first I tried replying to try and make people think, but I soon realised it was utterly useless, they were people with no interest in trying to understand.
“The house is now guarded and my parents, who live downstairs, will leave for a while.
“Will I leave? I’ve lived here for 40 years, and that would mean letting them win.”.
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