Italian footballer arrested after allegedly beating his ex to death with hammer in cruel ambush: Reports

An Italian footballer has been arrested for allegedly clubbing his girlfriend to death with a hammer and a baseball bat, according to The Sun.

Giovanni Padovani, who has played for over a dozen lower league Italian clubs, apparently left his team the day before a cup game to fly to Bologna and meet Alessandra Matteuzzi.

The 27-year-old former professional player had been reported by Ms Matteuzzi weeks prior for stalking her. Police stated that the 56-year-old woman arrived at her home where she was ambushed in the lobby of her apartment building.

She was on the phone with her sister Stefania, who heard her screaming as she was attacked. She tearfully told a local TV station:

"She got out of her car and started screaming, 'No Giovanni, no, I beg you, help'. I was on the phone. I immediately called the Carabinieri who arrived straight away. I live 30km away. In the end, he beat her to death."

Reports in Italy claim that Alessandra and Giovanni had been a couple for around a year. However, the pair spent most of their time apart, as she lived in Bologna and he played in Sicily.

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Further details emerge on alleged murder involving Italian footballer

The Sun goes on to report that the two were involved in an altercation at her home, when the former Napoli youth footballer smashed dishes and a light.

After they separated, he allegedly harassed her with messages and calls throughout the day and night. This is when Alessandra reported Giovanni for stalking.

Local residents also alleged that the footballer had sabotaged her car, disconnected her meter from the outside, and tried to climb up to her balcony.

One neighbor told local media:

"She was very afraid of him because he had become persistent and she didn't want to let him in the house."

The case has caused uproar and outrage in Italy, with many believing that the judicial system does not do enough to protect women. Inspectors have begun a review into the case.

Bologna Chief Prosecutor Giuseppe Amato denied accusations of judicial negligence in the case, as he told Ansa:

"We did what we could."

He added that the stalking report did not highlight "situations of a concrete risk of violence, it was just the typical conduct of bothersome stalking."