Izuchukwu Okosi
On-loan Arsenal defender at Serie A side Monza, Pablo Mari has been released from hospital on Sunday, 72 hours after being injured in a knife attack at an Italian shopping centre.
Mari reportedly took his wife and daughter out on a date before the gruesome incident.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelFive people were stabbed in the attack on Thursday, including Mari, and one died after a man grabbed a knife from a supermarket shelf.
Police arrested a 46-year-old Italian man suspected in the attack at a shopping center in Assago, a suburb of Milan in Italy.
The 29-year-old Mari avoided life-threatening injuries but needed surgery on his back and also had injuries to his mouth. He will be out for two to three months.
Monza issued a statement on Sunday saying the Spanish player had been released from hospital but would need “a period of absolute rest.”
The club also said that the players will warm up for Monday’s match at home to Bologna wearing special shirts dedicated to Mari, with his name on the back and a message on the front saying “come back soon Pablo.”
There will also be a minute’s silence before kickoff in memory of Luis Fernando Ruggieri, the supermarket employee who was killed in the attack.
The Italian league rejected Monza’s request for the match to be postponed.
“This week has been very particular, very emotional. When we found out about Pablo it was normal that it shocked everyone. We were very down,” Monza coach Raffaele Palladino said.
“But when we found that Pablo was out of danger we all heaved a sigh of relief.
Maria’s parent club Arsenal won their Premier League game on Sunday beating Nottingham Forest 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium with Gabriel Martinelli who headed in the Gunners to the lead dedicating the goal to the injured player.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
