Juventus defender Federico Gatti is a doubt for the start of the Serie A season after being injured by a supporter during the club’s traditional pre-season pitch invasion.
Juventus hosted their annual family friendly against Juventus Next Gen at the Allianz Stadium on Monday, an event which traditionally brings the club’s players and supporters together before the new campaign begins. More than 23,000 fans attended as Francisco Conceição and Weston McKennie gave the senior side a 2-0 lead.
They did not get an opportunity to add a third.
As has become customary at the fixture, supporters entered the pitch to celebrate with the players. This year’s invasion arrived particularly early, beginning before the second half had even properly started.
This is crazy 😭
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) August 19, 2026
Federico Gatti could miss Juventus’ first game of the season after a fan accidentally tackled him from behind during a pitch invasion in a friendly this week.
You genuinely can’t make this up.
📰 CorSport pic.twitter.com/of29ha91zv
During it, one supporter running towards the Juventus players slipped on the pitch and went into Gatti from behind, catching the defender around the ankle and sending him to the ground.
The challenge was entirely accidental.
The injury was not.
Gatti subsequently missed training on Wednesday because of the ankle problem and is now being assessed ahead of Juventus’ Serie A opener away to Frosinone on Sunday. The injury is not believed to be serious, but the defender will undergo further checks before a decision is made on his availability.
The invasion caused several other problems. Juventus were also left with damage to the newly prepared playing surface and goal nets, prompting the club to consider whether the format of the traditional event may need to be changed in future.
The fixture itself has been part of Juventus’ pre-season tradition for decades and is intended to provide supporters with an opportunity to get closer to the first-team players before competitive football begins.
This year they got slightly too close.
Juventus wanted their traditional pitch invasion to mark the beginning of the new season.
One of their defenders may now miss the beginning of the new season because of it.
