Alessandro Bianco suffered a broken nose from the Conference League match against Sivasspor on Thursday evening. The Fiorentina midfielder was the victim of a maddened attacker and received a hard blow to the face. The perpetrator was caught not much later. Afterwards, Bianco posted a message on social media that things were going well given the circumstances.
Fiorentina, which had eliminated FC Twente in the Conference League at an earlier stage, had won 1-0 against Sivasspor at home and was also the parent on a visit to Turkey. After the home team took the lead in the first half, coach Vincenzo Italiano’s team turned the game around: 1-4. After the fourth and final goal, it then came to a field assault. Two ‘fans’ managed to gain access to the field, after which one of them threw a punch.
Dün oynanan Sivasspor-Fiorentina maçinda Fiorentina’nin gol sevinci yasadigi sirada sahaya giren bir taraftar, Fiorentina orta saha oyuncusu Alessandro Bianco’ya yumruk atti!pic.twitter.com/Pyxu5CN0qU
— HatasizFutbol (@HatasizFutbol) March 17, 2023
Images circulating on the internet show how the men run across the field between the players. One of them lands a direct right and hits Bianco full in the face. The Fiorentina midfielder is left with a broken nose. “Not bad,” said a cynical Bianco on social media with a photo of a bloodied face. Italiano condemns the incident. “It was a scandalous action. That boy never saw it coming and is now in the dressing room with a broken nose,” said the Italian coach.
At Sivasspor they put on the penitent. “We offer our sincerest apologies. This should never have happened,” said trainer Riza Calimba. “Unfortunately we were unable to prevent it. Something like this has never happened before in Sivas and we are ashamed of this.” The game was resumed after the incident, but nothing changed in the score. On Friday, during the draw in Nyon, Switzerland, it will be announced who will be Fiorentina’s next opponent in the quarterfinals.
Bianco was not the only victim of violence Thursday night. Elsewhere in Turkey, during the match between Fenerbahçe and Sevilla, goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic was attacked by an opponent’s supporter. The goalie, who held off against PSV field attacker Delano K. in the Philips Stadium, was hit by an object from the audience. Dmitrovic required medical treatment and was given a bandage, after which the Serb was able to resume the game.