Italy officials, on Wednesday, confirmed that a Nigerian migrant was beaten to death in a racist attack by football fans in a central Italian town.

The Agi news agency reports that the Nigerian, identified as Emmanuel Chidi, was said to be walking with his girlfriend in the heart of the small town of Paolo Calcinora on Tuesday, when they were racially abused by fans of a local football club.

The 36-year-old Chidi reportedly had an altercation with them and was brutally beaten on the head until he collapsed.

Chidi did not recovered consciousness and later died in hospital on Wednesday.

The town’s mayor said, “As mayor of a town that is welcoming and open to integration, I feel I’m living in a nightmare.”

Chidi was said to have been living in the town for about eight months and was lodged in a shelter run by Catholic charity.

His girlfriend was also said to have lost her baby after a tough time crossing the Mediterranean.