Italy. Threats against journalists following reports of the arrest of five football fans

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A similar case in Genoa a year ago with reporter still protected by policemen – Other previous incidents on the soccer world

OSSIGENO 11 June 2026 – by Laura Turriziani – On the night of 7 May 2026, beneath the dome of the Cathedral of Christ the King in the centre of La Spezia, a banner was hung bearing the words ‘Journalism in La Spezia has always been sleazy and petty’. The banner, which was subsequently removed, was signed by ultras supporters of the local football team, Spezia, and was clearly directed at the local journalists who had covered the clashes that, in recent months, had led to the arrest of several ultras.

The most likely explanation is that the offensive phrase refers specifically to the five journalists (two from *Il Secolo XIX* and three from *La Nazione*) who reported on the five Spezia ultras arrested following the clashes at the ‘Bruno Ferdeghini’ Sports Centre on Easter Monday, after the home team’s defeat in the match against Carrara. During the clashes with around 50 Spezia supporters who were waiting for the team’s coach to return from Carrara, some ultras set off fireworks, and ten police officers were injured in the scuffles, one of them seriously (read more).

An incident in which Sampdoria supporters confronted journalists using similar intimidating tactics took place in Genoa in 2025 and was reported by Ossigeno (read more). In that case, given the assessed risk to which they were exposed, five journalists were placed under police protection to ensure their personal safety.

THE TARGETS – Although the banner did not name anyone specifically, it was taken for granted that the ultras’ targets were the court reporters who had been covering the developments in the Easter Monday clashes between violent supporters and the police. In particular, the deputy editor of the La Spezia bureau of *Il Secolo XIX*, Tiziano Ivani, and the newspaper’s long-standing contributor, Gian Paolo Battini – now retired – as well as three other reporters from *La Nazione*.

TIZIANO IVANI – Tiziano Ivani, who has been covering crime and legal affairs for 14 years, explained to Ossigeno that the banner was undoubtedly a reaction to the publication of reports on the attack on the police carried out by a group of ultras who, on 6 April at the ‘Ferdeghini’ sports centre, were waiting for the football team to return from Carrara following their defeat in the derby. Tiziano Ivani emphasised that, in the days following those clashes, five supporters were arrested and, for three of them, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has now requested and secured ‘immediate trial’. The trial is scheduled to begin on 15 July.

The reporter told Ossigeno that he has long been in the crosshairs of ultras and others who take issue with his articles and investigations. As far back as 11 years ago, a banner was displayed bearing his name verbatim, followed by unequivocal threats (“Tiziano Ivani, the Curva never forgets… ever!”). At the time, he was protected by a police escort. On other occasions, he has received threats and his car has been damaged.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time such incidents have occurred,” concluded Tiziano Ivani. “But my colleagues and I will continue to carry out our work with our heads held high. For us, the most important thing is knowing that the authorities and the public are aware of the seriousness of these incidents”.

SOLIDARITY – Ossigeno expresses its solidarity with the La Spezia-based reporters and, together with them, emphasises that incidents of intolerance such as this cannot be tolerated by anyone, least of all by true sports fans, who value fair play and reject all forms of violence, even when seeking to defend their teammates.

The Order of Journalists and the Liguria Press Association have condemned the incident in a joint statement: “What has happened represents, chronologically speaking, only the latest extremely serious act in Liguria against journalists covering court and sports news,” the statement reads. “The Association and the Order extend their full solidarity to our colleagues in La Spezia, in the full knowledge that reporters will continue to carry out their work, as they always have, without being intimidated by attacks or threats of any kind.”

The statement by the Order and Assostampa refers to the fact that, as previously noted, for almost a year now in Genoa, five journalists have been under police protection due to repeated intimidation by members of the football ultras scene. Unlike their counterparts in La Spezia, the Genoese journalists have been explicitly threatened and insulted by name on giant banners displayed outside their newsrooms and at the ‘Luigi Ferraris’ Stadium, as well as in a number of social media posts.

They, too, had published news articles about the city’s ultras and the arrest of a number of violent individuals following clashes between rival sets of supporters in 2024.

In light of these events, a delegation from the Liguria Order of Journalists, led by its President Tommaso Fregatti, together with representatives from the Ligurian Journalists’ Association and the Ligurian Reporters’ Group, held a meeting with the Chief of Police of Genoa, Silvia Burdese. The meeting was also attended by senior officials from the Digos (Special Operations Division) and the police headquarters’ spokesperson, to emphasise the need to protect journalists under threat. LT