FAN IN LEGAL TROUBLE AFTER SLAPPING REPORTER’S FANNY

An Italian football fan risks prosecution after slapping a reporter on the backside on live television, sparking a national debate over “medieval” attitudes toward women. The 45-year-old was leaving the stadium in the town of Empoli, Tuscany, on the weekend when he walked behind Greta Beccaglia, pictured, as she was reporting live and smacked her on the bottom. Other fans made sexist remarks towards the 27-year-old, who filed a police complaint. The man, a supporter of Fiorentina, now faces charges of sexual violence. “He slapped me really hard on my backside. It was really scary,” Beccaglia said. The fan apologized Monday. “It was absolutely not a sexist act. We had lost the game and it was something I did in a moment of irritation,” he told Corriere della Sera newspaper.