Italian volleyball player Julia Ituma’s team Igor Gorgonzola Novara, who lost his life in Istanbul, denied some allegations published in the Turkish and Italian press. The team stated that reports that Ituma sent a farewell message to his teammates before his death were not true.
“Julia has not sent any farewell message to her teammates, coaching staff or management in any way,” said Igor Gorgonzola Novara’s press release last night. It was also stated that “the rumors that third parties concerned about Julia’s condition had contacted her teammates before the tragedy were completely false.”
The joint statement on behalf of the team said, “We would love for Julia to share her pain with us,” and the request was shared, “We ask everyone to respect our mood.”
Igor Gorgonzola Novara President Suor Giovanna Saporiti said: “We all feel helpless and defeated today because we could not prevent Julia’s distress and did not have the opportunity to intervene in time… Julia did not open up to us; she could not get over the wall she built to hide her vulnerability behind the appearance of a strong, kind, cheerful, determined girl. The regret of being with us will always be with us,” he said.
Saporiti also stated that after this incident, professional psychological support was provided to the team players and team members who were in shock.
Some of her teammates, including Ebrar Karakurt, also posted messages for Julia Ituma on social media. Karakurt posted a photo of him hugging Ituma on Instagram. “My love Titu. I wish I could hug you one more time. You will always be in my heart. Rest in peace'” he wrote.
MOTHER: PHONE IS EMPTY
It was claimed that Julia Ituma wrote a farewell message to the team’s Whatsapp group “before throwing herself out of the window” in the news from Hürriyet newspaper in Turkey yesterday.
La Repubblica, published in Italy, claimed that Ituma made one of his last phone calls with a friend from high school, saying, “They quarreled like teenagers do. Were they lovers? It is not known, but they had a long and heavy argument. He sent messages to Lucia (the teammate with whom Julia Ituma was staying in the same room) to make sure she was calm.”
La Repubblica also wrote today that messages and call logs on Ituma’s cell phone were deleted.
The newspaper stated that the police handed over the phone to the Italian consulate after completing the investigations, and that Julia Ituma’s mother, Elizabeth, also saw the phone. According to the report, Ituma’s mother said, “I saw the phone, but it was completely empty. SMS, call logs and Whatsapp messages were deleted. There was even no Whatsapp application.”
Anne said, “The investigators must have copied the content to understand who he was talking to and chatting with before he died. But I also want to know, I have the right to do so.”
The body of 18-year-old Julia Ituma is expected to be brought to Italy today and a burial in Milan next Tuesday.
