AC Monza defender Pablo Mari recovers from a stabbing attack in a shopping center in Italy. The defender was with his wife and son when the incident occurred. He just joined the Serie A club on loan from Arsenal in August.
“Today I was lucky, because I saw a person die in front of me,” Mari told La Gazzetta dello Sport. While the 29-year-old center back was stabbed, he was reportedly conscious all the way to the hospital. His injuries are not life threatening and he has already had successful surgery on the wound.
Mari explained the horrific incident from her hospital room. “I was in the stroller with my son inside and I felt excruciating pain in my back,” the defender said. “So, that man stabbed another man in the throat.”
Pablo Mari implicated in stabbing
Six people were attacked in total in the market and one person died as a result of their injuries. The perpetrator was soon disarmed and detained by the police. Former Napoli player Massimo Tarantino was reportedly one of the heroes who helped contain the attacker.
Monza CEO Andrea Galliani has claimed that Mari will be out of action for a few months. “I’m afraid it will be three months before she can get back on the court, as she can start training after two and put in a lot of effort as she goes,” Galliani told Sky Italy. “Unfortunately, in sporting terms, it will be more than two months before she is back on the pitch.”
Galliani also said that the player’s physical condition helped save his life. “What I understood from the doctor is that if he hadn’t had strong back muscles, the knife probably would have gone deeper and he would have died,” Galliani said. “Being an athlete certainly helped him in terms of having strong muscles that stopped the knife.”
Due to the terrible attack, Monza have asked for Monday’s game against Bologna to be postponed. A decision by the league has yet to be made official.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Marco Canoniero
