NAPLES, Italy – Thousands of people have paid their final respects to Ciro Esposito during a public viewing in Naples.
Esposito, a Napoli fan, was shot during fan violence before last month's Italian Cup final, allegedly by Roma fan Daniele De Santis, and died on Wednesday. He was 29.
Thousands visited his coffin late Thursday as it lay in an auditorium in Naples' Villa Comunale. Many more are expected before his funeral at 4:30 p.m. local time (1430 GMT).
Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis and player Lorenzo Insigne are due to attend, as well as Giovanni Malago, president of the Italian Olympic Committee.
Esposito was at the head of a group which ran to stop De Santis, after he was spotted apparently throwing paper bombs at a bus carrying Napoli fans.
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