Roma and Pallotta donate €150,000 to injured Liverpool fan Sean Cox
Written By Peter Hanson
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Roma and club president James Pallotta have made a combined €150,000 (£133.2m/$169.8m) donation to a fund for Liverpool fan Sean Cox, who was attacked before last season's Champions League semi-final.
Cox, who is a father of three from Dunboyne in Ireland, was left in a coma and with life-changing injuries following the incident outside Anfield prior to the first leg last April. A bleed on the brain was one of the most serious inflictions, and a fund was launched to help cover the costs of the 53-year-old's rehabilitation.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Everton defender Seamus Coleman are among those to have contributed already.
On Thursday, Roma released a statement confirming the club will donate €100,000 through its Roma Cares foundation, with Pallotta to make a personal donation of €50,000, while the club promised to work with Cox's family to support additional fundraising efforts.
Pallotta said: "What happened to Sean Cox should never happen to anyone attending a football match."
"Our thoughts today, as they have been from day one, are with Sean, Martina and their whole family. We all hope Sean makes as full a recovery as possible."
Cox's wife, Martina, added: "Our life has been turned upside down by what has happened to Sean.
"There is no sign of Sean being able to return home any time soon and even with extensive specialist rehabilitation efforts, which will take years, he will require care for the rest of his life.
"We are hugely appreciative of today's donation by AS Roma and Mr Pallotta, and more particularly by committing to meaningful assistance over the coming years with the struggle Sean is facing into."
The managing director of Roma, Mauro Baldissoni, explained how the donation came about: "Back in April we wrote to Mrs Cox to offer any help or support we could provide at a time that was right for the family. Now, having sat down on Friday with Martina and listened to the long journey Sean still has ahead of him, we wanted to make a donation that will help support Sean's ongoing rehabilitation costs."