Roma fan pleads guilty to assaulting Liverpool rival at game

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PRESTON, England (AP) — A fan of Italian soccer club Roma has been jailed for 3 1/2 years in England for assaulting a Liverpool supporter before a Champions League match.

Simone Mastrelli, who is from Rome, admitted to assaulting Sean Cox before the game at Anfield last April. The case was tried at Preston Crown Court in northwest England.

Cox, who is from Ireland, suffered head injuries in the attack. He spent more than a month in Liverpool in a neurological unit that treats brain injuries before returning to Ireland, where he remains in a hospital.

Mastrelli was extradited to Britain last month after being arrested on a European arrest warrant in Italy.