The San Nicolás classic between Belgrano and Regatas, for the Federal Basketball League, ended up involved in a serious episode of violence that completely overshadowed what happened on the court. A local fan burst onto the court and headbutted the visiting assistant coach, Gastón Petrella
. The match, corresponding to the seventh round of the Southeast 2 division, had been held normally at the Fortunato Bonelli stadium and ended with Belgrano's 80-73 victory, a result that allowed him to reach the top of the zone with a record of six wins and one loss.
However, once the match ended, while the players greeted each other and the local public celebrated, a supporter managed to enter the playing field and, without a word, directly attacked Petrella. The blow was overwhelming and the assistant fell to the ground in the face of general surprise, in a scene that quickly went viral
.
After the attack, Petrella was taken to a hospital, where he was under observation. Regatas repudiated what happened and highlighted their member with a statement.
“Gastón is a committed worker, recognized for his daily effort, his constant dedication and his permanent predisposition to serve the club and our entire community,” they expressed, in addition to describing the event as a "regrettable aggression”. In the same message, the club remarked: "We strongly repudiate any act of violence that tarnishes the sport and the values it represents. These behaviors have no place on or off a court.” They also confirmed that they made the police report, that they will accompany the man and his family in their recovery and that they will collaborate with Justice
.
For his part, Belgrano assumed his responsibility as organizer and publicly apologized: “The Belgrano San Nicolás Club expresses its apology to Technical Assistant Gastón Petrella, of the San Nicolás Regatas Club, for the events that occurred within the framework of the disputed event.”
In addition, the institution assured that it had established preventive measures, such as private security, the absence of a visiting public and the presence of police officers, although it acknowledged that they were not sufficient to prevent the incident. He also reported that the aggressor was identified and that he is at the disposal of the Justice and the Argentine Basketball Confederation (CAB
).
The classic, which should be marked by sports, ended up once again exposing the problem of violence in Argentine sports, even in contexts where precautions had been taken to prevent it.
