Roma fan pleads guilty to assaulting Liverpool rival at game

PRESTON, England (AP) — A fan of Italian soccer club Roma has pleaded guilty to assaulting a Liverpool supporter ahead of a Champions League match.

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

Cox, who is from Ireland, suffered head injuries in last year’s 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.