De Laurentiis announces PAOK friendly will include tribute to Ciro Esposito

June 25th was a sad day for Napoli fans. June 25th was the day that Ciro Esposito, one of the Napoli fans shot during the unrest and chaos leading up to the Coppa Italia final in Rome on May 3rd, passed away as a result of his injuries. It was a senseless, needless death borne of violence that erupted for no reason other than the color of the shirts Napoli fans were wearing.

According to Aurelio De Laurentiis, who spoke to Radio Kiss Kiss earlier today, Napoli will be honoring Ciro's memory by paying tribute to him before the friendly against PAOK on August 2nd. The club have been openly supportive of Ciro's family since he was shot, and it doesn't sound like that will change any time soon. Taking the opportunity to acknowledge his memory, and to decry the kind of senseless, useless, needless violence that lead to his death, is just another good gesture from the club in the wake of this tragedy.

For more on this tragedy, I'll just point to the words Kirsten wrote after Ciro passed:

What can be said of this, the most senseless of deaths? There can only be an appeal to those that instigate it, the ultras that wrongly believe that violence goes hand-in-hand with fandom.

Stop. Please stop. Before more lives are snuffed out. Before other mothers, fathers, children, uncles, aunts, friends, fanbases, entire cities, cry once more over the death of one of their own. Before this game that we all love becomes a mere backstory to the senseless violence that occurs amongst the supposed 'faithful'.

Stop.