Sandro Mazzola: Shameful Behavior by Some Juventus Ultras
In Turin, there was no moment of complete silence in memory of Sandro Mazzola: at the Allianz Stadium, the tribute organized by Serie A was accompanied by chants from the Juventus fans in the stands. While Juventus and Atalanta lined up in the center of the field to honor the former Inter and Italian national team star, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 83, some Juventus ultras turned their backs on the field and sang chants dedicated to three figures linked to Juventus’ history: Gaetano Scirea, Andrea Fortunato, and Gianni Agnelli.
Scirea, the legendary Juventus captain, died on September 3, 1989, at just 36 years old, in a car accident. Fortunato, on the other hand, passed away at age 23 from leukemia. The fans in the stands also paid tribute to “L’Avvocato,” Gianni Agnelli, one of the most important figures in the history of the Bianconeri club.
The scene did not go unnoticed and sparked immediate reactions on social media. Applause erupted from other sections of the stadium in an attempt to drown out the chants, which were nonetheless clearly audible during the minute of silence dedicated to Mazzola.
Gianni Rivera, on the other hand, remembered Sandro Mazzola in an interview with *Il Fatto Quotidiano*: “Sandro Mazzola and I had an excellent relationship. It’s true, we played for different teams, but we respected each other, and together we came a long way, in the interest of all the other players,” the Milan legend said emotionally.
Together, the two had founded the players’ union: “We experienced a wonderful era of Italian soccer together, convinced that we had also contributed to the creation of the players’ association—an important achievement for the entire profession. Sandro was a lovely person. We got along well.”
On Radio 1, Mazzola then spoke once more about the Inter icon: “First and foremost, he was a major rival because he played for the other Milan team. But we were also friends, since we played together on the national team. And there was a period when they decided to have us play alternately—we never understood why.”
