A man has pleaded guilty to attacking Liverpool fan Sean Cox outside Anfield last April.
Simone Mastrelli left the Meath man with catastrophic head injuries ahead of a Champions League tie between Liverpool and Roma.
The Italian man is due to be sentenced shortly.
Mr Cox, from Dunboyne, Co. Meath, was in Liverpool for the champions league clash with AS Roma on April 24th when he was assaulted in an unprovoked attack outside Anfield before the game.
The father of 3 will need ongoing care for the rest of his life and has been recovering at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire after spending four-and-a-half weeks at a specialist neurological unit for brain injuries in England.
Last month 30 year old Roma fan Simone Mastrelli was extradited from Italy on a European Arrest Warrant.
Today he appeared at Preston Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Cox.
He pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of violent disorder.
Sean's wife, Martina, was in court for today's hearing.
Two other Roma fans were previously jailed for violent disorder.
