Manuel Locatelli walked into the ultras sector after violent clashes outside the stadium forced a halt to the Torino-Juventus derby scheduled for the 38th round of Serie A.
Before kick‑off fans from the two clubs came into contact in the area outside the ground, and police arrested eight Juventus fans. During the disorder a 45‑year‑old Juventus supporter suffered a cranial trauma and was taken in codice rosso to the Mauriziano hospital and then transferred to the Cto; officials later described him as in serious condition but not in danger of death.
The scenes escalated when many Juventus supporters left the away section and moved into the antistadio area, where the club’s ultras chanted for the match to be stopped — shouting "Non giocate" and "Sospendete la partita." After the teams completed their warm‑ups Locatelli went to the ultras sector to speak with the fans in an attempt to calm the situation.
For public order reasons the teams were kept in their dressing rooms while authorities assessed the situation, and live updates later described the match as suspended for security reasons. The Lega Serie A communicated a possible new kickoff time of 21.45 as the standoff continued.
The questore of Turin, after speaking with Cairo and Comolli, decided to send the teams onto the field — a move that underlined the tension between the police determination to proceed and the ultras’ demand to stop. Luca Zufferli of the Udine section had been assigned to referee the fixture, which was due to be shown on Dazn and Sky.
The figures underline what was at stake on the night: this was the 162nd Derby della Mole, part of the Serie A 38th round. Historically Juventus have won 78 of the previous top‑flight derbies, drawn 48 and lost 35; they have been unbeaten in 38 of the last 39 meetings and Torino’s last win in the fixture dated to 2015. Beyond local pride, Spalletti’s Juventus needed results to keep Champions League hopes alive, while Torino’s Simeone arrived with a strong home scoring run.
The friction of the evening is clear. Ultras demanded suspension and the crowd reaction — the move from the away section to the antistadio — showed how quickly control can fray after a serious injury. At the same time the questore’s decision to send players onto the pitch, and the league’s proposal of a 21.45 restart, revealed a competing priority: complete the fixture versus containing an unstable crowd.
Live updates alternated between describing the match as suspended and reporting the league’s effort to find a later kickoff time, leaving the referee, the clubs and broadcasters in a holding pattern. The immediate practical questions — whether the injured supporter’s condition and crowd movements would allow safe passage for players and officials, and whether the ultras would accept any restart — remained unresolved.
The central question now is whether authorities will accept a delayed 21.45 kickoff and risk renewed confrontation or cancel the Derby della Mole altogether; that decision will determine whether Serie A prioritises completing the calendar on a fraught evening or protects public order by ending the match before it can begin.
