An Italian court on Tuesday gave a football fan an 18-month suspended sentence for sexual assault after he punched a live TV reporter after a game.
The sanction associated with a duty of care is commuted to imprisonment within five years if the accused repeats the offence.
Supporter Andrea Serrani, a 46-year-old restaurateur, was also ordered to pay the journalist 10,000 euros (more than $14,000), according to the Italian National Press Federation (FNSI).
The FNSI, which was a civilian party and received €5,000 (about $7,200) in compensation, called on all its members to “condemn at all times any attempt at intimidation, threats or aggression.”
Greta Beccaglia was covering for a local Tuscan television outside the Carlo Castellani Stadium in Empoli after her Serie A (Italian 1st Division) match against her Tuscan rivals Fiorentina in November 2021 when one of the passing fans told her he was looking forward to the buttocks beaten.
The footage went viral, sparking widespread outrage in Italy, with the country’s top football department among those condemning the attack.