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Two Italian men have been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged in connection with an incident in which an Irish football fan was seriously injured.
Filippo Lombardi (20) and Daniele Sciusco (29) appeared at South Sefton Magistrates' Court on Thursday, charged with violent disorder after the Champion's League semi-final between Liverpool and Roma at Anfield on Tuesday.
Mr Lombardi was also charged with wounding/inflicting grievous bodily harm on Seán Cox (53), who suffered serious head injuries when he was assaulted before the match between Liverpool and Roma.
Mr Cox, a father-of-three from Dunboyne, Co Meath, remains in a critical condition after the attack.
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No pleas were indicated and the case was sent to Liverpool Crown Court, where both men will appear on May 24th.
District Judge Jack McGarva said he would not grant bail for the two men, who spoke through an Italian interpreter.
Mr Cox, who works as sales director of Dundalk-based company Precision Cables, is a life-long Liverpool FC supporter and used the match as an opportunity to also meet up with his brother who lives in the UK.
‘Wonderful’
In a statement released by police, his family said: “We want the world to know that Seán is the most amazing and wonderful husband, dad, friend, son, uncle, and brother, and he has brought us all nothing but joy.
"He is a truly decent man who adores Liverpool FC and just came over from his home in Co Meath, Ireland, to watch his beloved team.
“We are completely devastated by what has happened to our lovely, caring Seán and all we want is for him to come home to his loving wife and three children.
“We hope Seán makes a full recovery from the injuries he sustained and that we will all be back together soon as a family in Ireland, spending precious time together.”
Members of Mr Cox's family have flown over from Ireland to maintain a vigil at his bedside in the Walton Neurological Centre in Liverpool.
A GoFundme page set up to help cover Mr Cox’s s medical bills and accommodation for his family had raised more than €47,000 of its €50,000 goal as of 8.30pm on Thursday.
Sporadic trouble broke out in the city centre before Tuesday's game, as more than 50,000 fans descended on Anfield, including around 5,000 fans from Italy.
Fighting erupted near The Albert pub, close to the ground, shortly before kick-off, where it is believed Mr Cox was hit with a belt and fell to the ground.
A friend of Mr Cox, Damien O’Reilly, a councillor in Co Meath, described him as a role model and cornerstone of the community and heavily involved in the local Gaelic football club - St Peter’s of Dunboyne. He is also a member of the Dunboyne Athletic Club’s Fit4Life group.
“Everyone is just in shock and we are praying for a speedy recovery,” he said.
Liverpool and Roma football clubs both condemned the violence and European governing body Uefa is awaiting further information before deciding its next step. - PA