A team bus dramatically caught fire after a local rivalry match in Italy’s third tier.
Reggina, a team based in Calabria — right at the toe of the “boot” — was traveling back from a match against arch-rival Messina, a city at the north of Sicily.
It is called the “The Straight Derby,” named after the Straight of Messina, which connects the mainland to southern island, and is regarded as one of most-fiercely contested derbies in Italy, and came to a terrifying nadir after their meeting on Thursday.
The side from the mainland was still in Sicily, having just left the Franco Scoglio Stadium, when the team bus was set alight — with players and staff still on board.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, but a policeman was called to extinguish the fire as the coach headed for the motorway.
While it is not entirely clear what caused the fire, an investigation is under way — and foul play by Messina fans is not being ruled out.
However, the club was quick to distance itself from any involvement.
An official statement read: “ACR Messina excludes any involvement whatsoever in the terrifying incident.
“ACR Messina would like to express its complete unity to the president, players, technical staff and directors of Reggina.”
The incident followed a heated contest in which the visiting goalkeeper, Andrea Sala, was attacked in the tunnel at full-time.
Reggina manager Karel Zeman revealed just how intense the rivalry got.
His Facebook post read: “Battered with impunity in the dressing room. Bus set on fire, with 35 people on board.
“Yes, we lost. But a game that could not be called football.”
Messina won 2-0 to push Reggina closer to relegation.