“Shame of Italian football. Miracle.” The accusation, addressed to Mark Materazziand of Stephen Bishops, mayor of Vezzano sul Crostolo, a small town of 4,000 inhabitants in the Reggio Emilia area. A message then posted on social media by the former Inter player, who was in Berlin last Saturday to watch Italy’s match against Switzerland.
From then on, insults and threats rained down on Vescovi: “My comment is before the match and concerns a video in which I saw Materazzi in all his historic attitudes: kicks, punches, insults, broken lips of players, prison interventions… – the mayor tells Resto del Carlino -. The next post was him in a photo with footballers who, unlike him, are examples. He is not an example and my message was this: ‘You are not an example. you are miraculous to have won a world cup’. Having said that, my superficial use of social media is certainly a mistake. I received a call from Instagram to deactivate all my social media due to the death threats I and my family received: insults of all kinds, triggered by Materazzi’s screens. To my wife, to my two children. The social network will be available to support me in the next few days to collect all the messages”.
“Materazzi’s goal – continues Vescovi – was to unleash this against me, also aware that they would reach my family since he reposted my personal profile, and not my political one. Sad story… certainly worth it This experience brought me the warning to use social media much more carefully. I didn’t threaten anyone with death or incite people against him. I certainly didn’t expect that a person with millions of people following him could unleash hatred his followers against me for such a comment, but – I repeat – I am not surprised knowing his historical attitudes on the pitch. I condemn all the death messages addressed to Materazzi, messages that he did not want to repost, choosing mine, from mine. personal profile. I am also receiving many calls of support given the threats I am receiving. I invite him not to publicly shame anyone, or possibly only me, considering that my wife and children had nothing to do with it. There are people who can’t handle certain things.”
