Roma president condemns banner that insulted mother of dead Napoli fan

Roma president James Pallotta has spoken out against those responsible for displaying a banner this past weekend that ridiculed the mother of a Napoli supporter who was killed last season.

Ciro Esposito, who attended last year's Coppa Italia final between Napoli and Fiorentina in the Italian capital, was shot - allegedly by a Roma fan - during an outbreak of violence outside the stadium prior to the match. He died in hospital nearly two months later. He was 29.

Saturday, Roma ultras in the Curva Sud section of the Stadio Olimpico unveiled a banner mocking Esposito's mother, Antonella Leardi.

It read: "How sad ... Gaining from the funeral with books and interviews," referencing a book she recently released titled 'Ciro Vivo' (Ciro Lives).

Pallotta released a statement Sunday, condemning those responsible for the deplorable banner.

As has been expressed repeatedly, most recently in the week leading up to the match against Napoli, AS Roma considers any events that lead to the loss of life at a football match, as occurred in the cases of Ciro Esposito, Antonio De Falchi, Gabriele Sandri, Vincenzo Spagnolo, Filippo Raciti, Vincenzo Paparelli and others, to be a defeat for civil society as a whole, regardless of affiliations to clubs or fan groups. The enormous pain that follows such events deserves maximum, unconditional respect from all and necessitates that all parties - fans, clubs and law enforcement agencies -strive to ensure that such pain is not renewed, not even verbally, in the stands of a stadium.