The Guardian’s Simon Burton and Louise Taylor reveal a legal development that might finally open the door for me to sue Aaron Heilman for psychic trauma.
The Italian champions Internazionale have been ordered to pay a Napoli fan ‚¬1,500 (£1,190) for “existential damage” caused by banners displayed during a match at San Siro last October calling Naples the “sewer of Italy”.
Other banners at the game, which Inter won 2-1, read “Ciao cholera sufferers!” and “Neopolitans have tuberculosis”, while fans also sang offensive chants. The Napoli supporter’s lawyer, Raffaele Di Monda, said the abuse had made his client feel “indignant and deeply hurt”.The Italian league had already punished Inter by closing the sections of their stadium where the banners had been displayed for their following home game.
The court in Naples also ordered Inter to pay the fan, identified only by the initials GDB, compensation and legal costs for insults which referred to a refuse crisis that left rubbish rotting in Naples’ streets. Inter, however, are insisting that the court does not have jurisdiction over events that take place in Milan.
(UPDATE : sports fans across the globe need to develop a thicker skin)