THE Italian soccer federation has threatened to suspend games indefinitely after a police officer was killed and more than 70 people injured when fans rioted at a football match.
The clashes on Friday night during a match between Sicilian sides Catania and Palermo has triggered calls for "zero tolerance" measures against football violence.
The federation postponed all league matches this weekend and cancelled a friendly b
etween world champions Italy and Romania on Wednesday. It said the suspension of games could be extended.
Celtic and the Scottish Football Association are monitoring developments in Italy. The Glasgow team are due to host AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on February 20, with the return leg in Italy a fortnight later, and Scotland are scheduled to face Italy in a Euro 2008 qualifier on March 28.
Italian football federation commissioner Luca Pancalli said the federation will meet tomorrow "to identify those drastic measures that will allow us to restart. Otherwise, we're not restarting the games."
The Italian Olympic Committee, the highest body in Italian sport, will convene today to discuss violence in football, while interior minister Giuliano Amato is to debate the matter on Tuesday in parliament. Amato and sports minister Giovanna Melandri will also meet "to start discussing ideas for long-term measures, strong measures that can radically change the situation," Italian Premier Romano Prodi said.
The game between Catania and Palermo began with a minute's silence in memory of Ermanno Licursi, a club official who died last Saturday after being attacked while trying to break up a fight at an amateur league match in the southern town of Luzzi. The nationwide soul-searching that followed that incident, however, appeared to have made no difference when Palermo took the lead and Catania fans hurled flares.
Tear gas and a half-hour suspension failed to stop the trouble, which spilled out on to the streets, claiming the life of the policeman.
Chief Inspector Filippo Raciti, 38, died after an explosive device was thrown into his vehicle, police said.
The violence continued after the game, in which Palermo beat Catania 2-1, trapping hundreds of fans inside the stadium as authorities sought to avoid further violence.
Of the 71 people injured, 61 were police officers. A total of 15 people at the game have been detained - eight adults and seven minors - but none was suspected of killing the officer.
A Catania prosecutor said he believed the incident was orchestrated by those who had nothing to do with football.
"It's clear from the footage. There are groups of criminals separate from the fans. They go to the stadium just to attack the police," Renato Papa said.
The president of the players' association suggested that football be halted for a full year, while Italy's World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi said Italian football clubs needed to take more responsibility.
"The clubs should say to their fans that instead of acquiring players to reinforce their teams, the money is directed to guarantee safety," Lippi said.
Ferdinando Casini, a leading law-maker with the conservative opposition, called for "zero tolerance" in Italian stadiums.
Violence is endemic in and around Italy's football stadiums, all the way down to amateur level, with fans fighting each other or the police, and flares, firecrackers and other explosives as much part of a Serie A match as banners, chants and cheering.
In 1979 Lazio supporter Vincenzo Paparelli was killed after being hit by a flare fired by an opposition fan in the city derby against AS Roma.
In January 1995 Genoa fan Vincenzo Spagnolo died after being stabbed before a game against AC Milan.
More recently, Milan fans smuggled a scooter into the San Siro stadium, which they hurled off the third tier.
In September 2004, Roma's Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev was suspended after Swedish referee Anders Frisk was hit by an object thrown from the stands.
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