Despite being stabbed in Rome on March 6, ahead of Brighton's European clash against Italian outfit Roma, Brighton fan Jack Albion was in attendance for the match less than 24 hours later on March 7.
Upon his arrival at Stadio Olimpico, fellow Seagulls supporters greeted him with nothing short of a hero's welcome, with his presence a clear demonstration of his love for the English side.
Wounded Brighton fan receives hero welcome against AS Roma
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The incident
Ahead of the important clash, approximately 3,500 supporters had made the journey from England to Italy to witness their side take on European giants AS Roma. It is hard to blame them, with the combination of Italian cuisine, hot weather and gorgeous views providing the superb backdrop to what was expected to be an excellent game of football.
However, on March 6, a group of Brighton fans were attacked by a gang of masked people wearing balaclavas. A reported four people were injured during the incident, with two of them taken to hospital to receive treatment for non-life threatening stab wounds.
Fellow Brighton fan and friend of the two victims, Joey Thorpe, gave his account of the attack. Thorpe explained: “It all happened very quickly, I didn’t even see it coming. First thing I remember was being on the floor, trying to cover up whilst they are kicking and punching me.
Jack Albion receives a hero's welcome
The reception @jackalbion96 received entering the Stadio Olimpico after being stabbed in Rome last night.
Brilliant to see him make the game👏 pic.twitter.com/9EtOCtfSTh
— Football Away Days (@AwayDays_) March 7, 2024
As mentioned, one of those stab victims was Jack Albion, who remarkably, despite requiring a total of 10 stitches for his sustained injuries, made it to the Stadio Olimpico for the match less than 24 hours after the initial attack.
In a show of support for Albion, his peers marked his arrival at the ground by incorporating his name into a well-known football chant and gave him the hero's welcome that he undoubtedly deserved.
Unfortunately for him and all Brighton fans in attendance, their team was unable to keep the party atmosphere going, with the away side suffering a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Roma, who are currently sat in fifth in the Serie A.
Despite that, the most important news of course remains the stabbing of the two Brighton fans, with the incident a reminder of the fact that more work still needs to be done to prevent such violence from occurring in the future,