AS Roma Dedicates Anti-Bullying Programme To Young Black Man Beaten To Death

Italian soccer giant AS Roma have announced they will dedicate a bullying awareness program to the memory of Willy Monteiro Duarte, a young black man beaten to death in a town south of Rome.

According to local news reports, the 21-year-old was killed during a fight sparked outside a bar on September 6, after he had attempted to save his friend from being beaten.

Duarte was born in Rome and was the son of African immigrants from Cape Verde. He grew up in the town of Paliano, 60 km south of Rome.

The victim worked as an assistant cook and played soccer with his local team, although his dream was to play for AS Roma in Serie A – Italy’s top-flight soccer league.

The Giallorossi – who Willy dreamt of one day playing for – expressed their condolences to the family with a tweet.

“Willy Monteiro Duarte dreamed of one day pulling on the Giallorossi shirt of his beloved AS Roma. That dream ended last night, in the most tragic and brutal of circumstances. Our thoughts are now with Willy’s family and friends. Rest In Peace, Romanista”.

The club also paid tribute to Duarte before kick-off in their friendly match against Frosinone on September 10.

The captains of both teams held up shirts featuring ‘Willy 10’, which had been signed by the players of both clubs and given to Willy’s sister, Milena, who was at the stadium as a guest of Roma.

A statement on AS Roma website by club CEO Guido Fienga read:

“What happened to Willy Monteiro Duarte on Sunday was absolutely horrific, but by dedicating this Roma Cares program to him, we can hopefully keep Willy’s memory alive and make a positive impact on the behavior of the young people we engage with”.

The program “A Scuola Di Tifo” (Italian for ‘Fan school’) aims to “impress upon young students the value of respect, solidarity and equality and the need to tackle hate wherever we see it”.

The killing has shaken up the country. Hundreds of people joined the funeral, including Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Minister of Internal Affairs Luciana Lamorgese.

A delegation from AS Roma also attended the funeral, led by club legend Bruno Conti and young players from the club’s academy.

Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder, although prosecutors have not yet indicated if the murder was racially motivated, Italian daily La Repubblica reports.

AS Roma open the 2020/2021 Serie A season with an away game against Verona this weekend