There are bigger issues here that need looking at..

The problems they have in Italy are bigger than football, I heard something mentioned on BBC World service the other day, that they are having issues with facist far righties and lefties...

 

On the football part, Italy should be banned from all competions including the European Champions leauge on a club level and the Natinoal team should be banned as well. Till they sort these problems out.

 

The EU as a whole needs to take a closer look

 

it's right what you said

Someone posted this on a footie board and I thought it was an interesting read.

 

Alternative viewpoint from that of our media from a Norwich fan who was in Italy at the time:

 

"I had the pleasure of being in Rome over the weekend and was due to go to the Roma - Cagliari match on Sunday night. I was to meet a friend at the stadium at 19:30, an hour before kick off. Whilst in a street near Piazza del Popolo at 17:55, shortly before I was going to get the tram to the stadium I received a phone call. 'Have you heard what has happened? The police have killed a Lazio supporter and the game has been suspended. I'm very sorry'. I still have my unused match ticket in my wallet. It's the symbol I now carry of everything that is wrong with this situation.

 

Having been able to see the reports of both the Italian and English media it has been interesting to compare and contrast the two. The English media seem to have sensationalised the entire event, reporting only part of the facts of what happened at stadiums across the country that day. When I returned on Monday night and saw the reaction in this country it became quickly apparent that if you have only seen the reaction of the British press to the events then you have very little understanding of what happened. Sadly, there also seems to be an arrogant element in the British media who are almost gloating about the problems in Italy compared to the peaceful stadiums we see in this country. The press are very quick in this country to publish stories of violence yet neglect every other aspect of the Ultra lifestyle. There are never pictures of the choreographies displayed in the stadiums or the social events that are organised by the groups. When you read about Ultras you read about violence and nothing else, not the money raised by Sampdoria Ultras for local charities, nor the Brescia Ultras visiting local schools and colleges to give lectures on the mentality of what it means to be an Ultra. But we all know this wouldn't sell newspapers

 

On Sunday evening there were multiple TV channels covering the event, with every football pundit offering his or her opinions on the events and the possible solutions. The next days newspapers carried pages and pages on Gabriele and the circumstances that led to his brutal death. Il Romanista, a daily paper dedicated to AS Roma cried 'BASTA' across its front page, ENOUGH. On the back page there are messages of condolence from Roma supporters to a follower of their arch rivals.

 

One of the saddest elements of Sunday is that the games in the afternoon were allowed to take place. All games should have been suspended as a mark of respect and to give people a chance to reflect on exactly what has and still is happening, not play on like it hadn't happened. After the death of Raciti, the police officer killed in Catania in February, the fixtures were suspended immediately and this has led to many accusations that a supporters life is not worth that of a police officers. It is this that has angered many people.

 

The actions of the Atalanta Ultras inside the stadium in Bergamo, in my opinion, were correct and in proportion to the days events. The game should never have started, so when it did, as the authorities clearly weren't going to take the decision to mark the death of an innocent supporter with respect, the Ultras stepped in. The violence inside the stadium wasn't, as reported in some elements of the press, violence for violence sake but the reaction of a group of people dismayed that football could continue as normal only hours after the death. It was an attempt to put a stop to a farcical match and when the supporters were able to talk to the players they agreed to walk off the pitch and stop playing. As they did, many in the stadium applauded their actions. These actions take on even greater significance when you take into account the deep hatred between the Ultras of Atalanta and Lazio. Outside the stadium, there were again confrontations between supporters and police. Outside the away sector police charged at the Milan supporters, indiscriminately beating the unfortunate ones who crossed their paths. Italian TV showed one supporter, grey haired and in his 50's with a large bruise down one side of his face. He hardly carried the look of a trouble maker and it proves yet again that the police there haven't learnt from the mistakes of the past.

 

Earlier this year the authorities in Italy brought in a whole host of new regulations, most of which were ridiculous and targeted not the root of the problem, but the positive side of the Ultra support that should be encouraged. The new laws saw bans on supporters bringing flags to the stadiums unless they faxed a photo of them to the police 48 hours before a game. You can no longer take a flag with colours of teams who aren't playing into the stadium, meaning fans can no longer show off friendships betweeen groups as in the past. More fences are now seen in stadiums at a time when more and more of the problems are being caused away from the arenas, not in them.

 

To solve the problem in Italy everyone has to be involved. The supporters won't respect new draconian measures if they are simply forced upon them, and this runs the risk of making an extremely delicate situation even worse. The authorities, the clubs and the supporters have to be involved together to be part of the change. Everyone must have their say and their opinion heard before action is taken to implement regulations. The English model is talked about a lot in Italy but simply wouldn't work for a number of reasons. It has taken away the soul of football in this country and it would be tragic if that spread elsewhere. The German model of incorporating supporters into the clubs yet at the same time letting them have their independence and freedom is a far more realistic and sustainable option, and is one that should be the aim for footballing countries all over the world if we're to ressurect a diseased sport."

The very fact there are "groups" is itself intimidatary. You don't need to be in a group to raise money for charity, but when it comes to football violence, it certainly helps.