Italian side Torino have announced the tragic death of Ismael Pistis, an eight-year-old player at the club, following a crash on the motorway on Easter Sunday
Torino say they are “shocked and deeply saddened” to announce the death of an eight-year-old player at the club. Ismael Pistis passed away after being involved in a car crash on the motorway on Sunday.
Italian media have reported that Ismael was on the back of a motorbike being driven by his father when it was struck by car on the A21 motorway. The father and son were in the fast lane and subsequently crashed into the barrier.
Ismael’s father was taken to hospital, but only suffered minor injuries. Tragically, the young footballer could not survive his injuries. An investigation has been launched by the police.
Torino said in a statement: “President Urbano Cairo and the entire Torino Football Club, shocked and deeply saddened by this terrible news, extend their heartfelt condolences to the Pistis family in memory of their beloved Ismael Pistis, who was taken from his loved ones in a car accident on Easter Sunday at just eight years old.
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“Ismael was a young footballer for Torino Football Club in the Under-8 category. He was a happy child who never failed to smile, capable of spreading joy and lightheartedness to everyone every day. Every child is special, and Ismael was just that on and off the field: always polite, orderly, and respectful.
“He will be missed by so many and will always be in the hearts of Jacopo, Andrei, Luca, Stefano, Thomas G., Hamed, Thomas L., Ivan, Federico, Gabriele, Leonardo, Damiano, Christian, Gabriele, Samuel, and Diego, his teammates with whom he shared everything, hardship and fun, victories and defeats.
“His genuine passion for Torino will always live on among the managers and coaches who knew him, the same Torino he loved so much that he transformed his bedroom into a corner of the Curva Maratona.
“To his mother Antonia, his father Marco, all his relatives, and his many friends and acquaintances, our condolences and fraternal embrace from the entire Torino community in this moment of unspeakable pain.”
The crash happened at around 5pm on Sunday on the A21 motorway between the Felizzano and Asti Est toll booths heading towards Turin in northern Italy.
Ismael, who was originally from Burkina Faso but lived in Turin, and his father were reportedly returning from a day trip, with his mother following in a car.
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