Italian league halted by violence

 

A supporter is injured during the violence at the Stadio Massimino

 

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has suspended all matches indefinitely after a policeman was killed at a Serie A match between Catania and Palermo. Officer Filippo Raciti died as violence flared during the Sicilian derby.

The FIGC has called off all this weekend's professional and amateur games, and also cancelled Italy's friendly with Romania on Wednesday.

Commissioner Luca Pancalli said: "What we're witnessing has nothing to do with soccer, so Italian soccer is stopping."

Pancalli had warned earlier this week that more violence would bring a halt to league matches after clashes between supporters and police in several cities last Sunday.

"One day is not sufficient," Pancalli added after proceeding with his threat. "Without drastic measures, we cannot play again.

"We will immediately set up a commission to discuss the situation between sport and politics. It's not possible to carry on like this."

Catania, fifth in Serie A, against Palermo, who are third, was given an early kick-off time on Friday because of fears over public safety.

We need a strong and clear signal to avoid the degeneration of this sport

 

 

Italian prime minister Romano Prodi

 

Prior to the start, a minute's silence had been held following the death of a club official from lower league club Sammartinese last weekend.

But the match was suspended after an hour when tear gas, used by police to break up the fighting outside the ground, drifted onto the field.

The fighting, reported ANSA news agency, was because Palermo fans could not get into Catania's Stadio Massimino until the second half.

The two teams fled the pitch for the dressing-room, with the game suspended for 30 minutes.

After the match, fans continued to fight running battles with police on the streets outside the stadium and around a hundred people were treated for injuries, while dozens with lesser injuries were taken to local hospitals.

Another police officer is also believed to be in a critical condition.

Catania club executive Pietro Lo Monaco reacted to news of the officer's death by announcing he would leave football.

"I've heard that a policeman has died," he said. "To speak of football right now seems useless. For me this is the end. I will leave the football world.

Palermo's players try to get away from the tear gas

 

"I don't recognise myself in this world anymore. I have loved football intensely but after this right now it seems absurd."

Palermo coach Francesco Guidolin was quick to blame Catania fans for the violence.

"We won the match, but we cannot enjoy this victory," said Guidolin. "Football cannot last for much longer like this. There will be no joy in it."

The Catania prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into the incident.

Italian prime minister Romano Prodi also issued a statement.

"After the serious incidents that occurred tonight in Catania, my first thought is for the people that have been affected and for their families," he said.

"I feel a duty to say that we need a strong and clear signal to avoid the degeneration of this sport which we are seeing more dramatically and more often."

Palermo had taken the lead through Andrea Caracciolo, but Catania equalised within 60 seconds of the teams coming back out thanks to Fabio Caserta.

Palermo won the game with a controversial David di Michele goal in the 83rd minute.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6326513.stm

 

 

 

 

shocking :dozey:

I can't say I'm surprised after all the recent scandals.;)

Watched it last night on Rai Uno news and I was shocked... What's going on in Italy? :shocked2: I read that people are afraid of visiting football games and that's the reason why more and more people are buying pay-tv to watch the games at home.

 

 

 

The frickin idiot US announcers were saying "The ref is clearing the pitch because smoke from all the flares are causing visibility problems" :dozey: Yeah, players and refs always run off the pitch hacking up a lung and washing their eyes from flare smoke. :whatever:

 

Maybe they will actually do something about their problem but I doubt it. I know a lot of Italian hoolies fly over to the UK just to fight *coughMillwallcough* Easyjet and Ryan air, the prefered airlines of hoolies.

I'm italian...i'm shocked...these people aren't real supporter.. the stop is a true strong signal..i hope that the tournament can be suspended for a month or more months... i'm a big big supporter of A.C. Milan but i've seen my favourite time only one times in a stadium because to go to the stadium isn't a good idea: radio or tv is better!

I'm italian...i'm shocked...these people aren't real supporter.. the stop is a true strong signal..i hope that the tournament can be suspended for a month or more months... i'm a big big supporter of A.C. Milan but i've seen my favourite time only one times in a stadium because to go to the stadium isn't a good idea: radio or tv is better!

 

They need to clamp down on hooliganism just like they did in the UK. The fans in Italy have obviously been allowed too many freedoms.

yeah right...we have laws against these acts, stadium should set up new ways for fans to enter one by one with a named ticket..the problem is that they're not applied.

 

This has nothing to do with soccer, even if it makes me think it's a prerogative of soccer as this is the only sport were such things happen, I've never seen or heard of people injured if not killed during basket or volley, or whatever sport matches. These are people who organise beforehand to attack policemen, it's just insane.

SOCCER game goes violence not be the genuine of soccer...:veryangry2:

First of all you had the match fixing stuff and now this.

 

Italian football really has been taken to the dogs for the past couple years.

but from what was said, the fighting took place outside the ground. you don't need to be a football fan with a ticket to be stood outside the ground and cause trouble.

but from what was said, the fighting took place outside the ground. you don't need to be a football fan with a ticket to be stood outside the ground and cause trouble.

 

Yeah, that's right!

 

But there were also fireworks and stuff like that inside the stadium as you can see on the first clip below. I don't know how people could get that into stadiums. In Germany every supporter will extremely check out by security men. You're even not allowed to take a plastic bottle with you. I think Italy's chance to host the European Championship in 2012 is getting worse.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP4FPIyTdI8

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-OQ5qVchD4

Yeah, that's right!

 

But there were also fireworks and stuff like that inside the stadium as you can see on the first clip below. I don't know how people could get that into stadiums. In Germany every supporter will extremely check out by security men. You're even not allowed to take a plastic bottle with you. I think Italy's chance to host the European Championship in 2012 is getting worse.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP4FPIyTdI8

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-OQ5qVchD4

 

I agree. This is a problem caused by poorly organised security/policing in the first place.

This kind of thing never happens in Germany or the UK any more.

the only reason it never happens in the uk any more is due to the amount of money spent on preventing violence. city centres become no go zones, and it costs an absolute fortune every match to keep rival supporters separate inside and outside the ground.

 

still don't understand why this only happens in football though.

 

you can go to a rugby match, take your pint to your seat, sit next to a group of rival fans & enjoy abusive banter, and enjoy the match. afterwards, you can go to the pub with the same group of rival fans and enjoy some more banter over a few more pints.

with football supporters, you have to have them in separate zones, have police surrounding the buses of the rival fans outside the ground, have separate pubs for both sets of rival supporters, and a police escort for any rival fans to get to and from the train station. depending on the match, any pubs around the ground will shut down for a few hours rather than risk getting trashed.

 

what is it about football that attracts the sort of people who do these things?

the only reason it never happens in the uk any more is due to the amount of money spent on preventing violence. city centres become no go zones, and it costs an absolute fortune every match to keep rival supporters separate inside and outside the ground.

 

still don't understand why this only happens in football though.

 

you can go to a rugby match, take your pint to your seat, sit next to a group of rival fans & enjoy abusive banter, and enjoy the match. afterwards, you can go to the pub with the same group of rival fans and enjoy some more banter over a few more pints.

with football supporters, you have to have them in separate zones, have police surrounding the buses of the rival fans outside the ground, have separate pubs for both sets of rival supporters, and a police escort for any rival fans to get to and from the train station. depending on the match, any pubs around the ground will shut down for a few hours rather than risk getting trashed.

 

what is it about football that attracts the sort of people who do these things?

 

They are attracted to football because it's by far the most popular sport, that's why.

If rugby was in the same position as football, the hooligans would probably invade that instead.

The amazing thing is that Italy doesn't seem to have introduced the kinds of security measures which have been necessary in football for many years.

Therefore it was a disaster waiting to happen.:stunned:

They are attracted to football because it's by far the most popular sport, that's why.

If rugby was in the same position as football, the hooligans would probably invade that instead.

The amazing thing is that Italy doesn't seem to have introduced the kinds of security measures which have been necessary in football for many years.

Therefore it was a disaster waiting to happen.:stunned:

 

but if everything in your country is going right, and you don't need those sort of measures, you wouldn't implement them. why would you spend millions on policing a football match if you didn't need to?

but if everything in your country is going right, and you don't need those sort of measures, you wouldn't implement them. why would you spend millions on policing a football match if you didn't need to?

 

I'm sure this can't have been an isolated incident. Allowing people to take explosive materials into grounds is unbelievably stupid in this day and age.;)

Mark the security measures were introduced, or at least there were rules set up...but as I said before only few stadiums have applied them (only three).

And what happened on friday was not supporters vs supporters, but some of organised Catania supporters vs policemen, that is the worst thing. I mean policemen should be never used if people were clever enough to understand they're just going to see a football match and not to partcipate in a battle.

 

And actually I couldn't care less to have the European Championship here in 2012...it's by far better for us to have the Volleyball World Championship in 2010

Mark the security measures were introduced, or at least there were rules set up...but as I said before only few stadiums have applied them (only three).

 

Well these rules should have been more strictly enforced by the football authorities, then.;)

In the UK you're not even allowed to stand up any more. Stadiums can even be closed because of it.

 

And what happened on friday was not supports vs supporters, but some of Catania supporters organised vs policeman, that is the worst thing. I mean policeman should be never used if people were clever enough to understand they're just going to see a football match and not to partcipate in a battle.

 

I agree, but it's been known for decades that football unfortunately has a hooligan following which needs to be kept under control. If the Italian football authorities didn't realise this, then it's unbelievably naive!!:stunned:

I'm sure this can't have been an isolated incident. Allowing people to take explosive materials into grounds is unbelievably stupid in this day and age.;)

It's not an isolated accident...it happens quite always.....It's so easy to prepare bombs and explosive devices...even into the stadium...so it's not easy to control these people by police...

In general i think it's a problem of culture (we need these tragic episodes to shake the waves) and of ethic.....And it's a problem of will by the football teams and the Football Association.

It's not an isolated accident...it happens quite always.....It's so easy to prepare bombs and explosive devices...even into the stadium...so it's not easy to control these people by police...

In general i think it's a problem of culture (we need these tragic episodes to shake the waves) and of ethic.....And it's a problem of will by the football teams and the Football Association.

 

As I thought.;)

As I thought.;)

 

Mark......the week before this tragedy happened another death....in an amateur league....when a boardman of a team died after he tried to stop an argument between the players of two teams, hit by some players......but the champioships weren't stopped cause doesn't care when these things happen in low tournaments........

Mark......the week before this tragedy happened another death....in an amateur league....when a boardman of a team died after he tried to stop an argument between the players of two teams, hit by some players......but the champioships weren't stopped cause doesn't care when these things happen in low tournaments........

 

That's unbelievable!! Don't the authorities in charge of these games have any feelings?:stunned:

I think no......they think just to money........to earn...and not to spend it to repair our horrible stadiums.....

I think no......they think just to money........to earn...and not to spend it to repair our horrible stadiums.....

 

Well that's definitely a recipe for disaster - it's what nearly killed football in England!!:stunned: