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.
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.
"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.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:38 am Posts: 5575 Location: Sydney, NSW
the Italians can be a bunch of nuts sometimes... or even very often. What a disaster.
_________________
Jammer91 wrote:
If Soundgarden is perfectly fine with playing together with Tad Doyle on vocals, why the fuck is he wasting his life promoting the single worst album of all time? Holy shit, he has to be the stupidest motherfucker on earth.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:11 am Posts: 6822 Location: College Station, TX, USA Gender: Male
Hinny wrote:
ManiacalClown wrote:
Indeed. UEFA has precedent to ban Italy and all its clubs from international competitions for some period of time.
SEE: England, Liverpool.
This seems more like Hillsborough than Heysel, and Liverpool weren't banned after Hillborough.
Hillsborough was not the fault of the fans involved.
Quote:
Violent clashes between rioters and the police lasted for hours after the game, during which a large firecracker exploded in 38-year old police officer Filippo Raciti's face. He died as he arrived at hospital.
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 3:00 pm Posts: 19826 Location: Alone in a corridor
Quote:
Raciti murder "was revenge"
The police are now suggesting that Filippo Raciti was targeted in a revenge killing for acting as a witness in the trial of a Catania Ultra’.
The 38-year-old policeman was killed during riots that surrounded the Stadio Massimino while Catania-Palermo was played inside.
An autopsy has now confirmed he died from massive liver damage. “The cause of death is clear,†announced the MD.
It was already known that the Catania fans staged an ambush on the arriving Palermo fans and police force, but a frightening new theory has come to light – the football match was merely an excuse to exact revenge on the Chief Inspector.
“In the last few weeks, Filippo had acted as a key witness in the trial of a Catania Ultra’ accused of violence in the last derby at Palermo. He was the one who nailed him, reconstructing the events of another nightmare evening,†explained police colleague Claudio Anzalone.
“Filippo told me how things unfolded. That lad, who got a suspended sentence, left the court laughing at him and hurling insults. Now this incident could really mean something, even if nobody listened to our warnings before.â€
This theory would fit in with the sequence of events on Friday evening at the Stadio Massimino.
The Palermo fans did not arrive until the second half and it was here that the trouble erupted, when Catania supporters waiting outside the stadium began their ambush.
Raciti, one of the policemen escorting the visiting fans, was struck in the chest by a rock and then a homemade bomb was thrown at his car.
“We can confirm that there was no involvement of the Rosanero fans,†said Catania police chief Ignazio Fonzo.
“The riot was solely created by pseudo-Catania supporters, real delinquents with a premeditated action of extreme violence. It’s a little early to talk today about a premeditated and targeted murder, however.â€
More evidence suggests this may have been revenge for the last Sicilian derby, won 5-3 by Palermo at the Stadio Barbera on September 20.
Raciti had been placed in a desk job for the past few months, but became restless and at his request was returned to duty at football matches just over a week ago.
The tension expected in the derby may well have given the criminals the perfect excuse to commit murder disguised as football-related violence.
Last night the police raided several different Catania fan clubs to weed out the more hardline elements. So far 22 people are under arrest.
Seems like a little more than just football violence...
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:31 pm Posts: 2423 Location: White Hart Lane Gender: Male
See, this the fucking bullshit thing about UEFA, if this happened in England then we'd be banned for life from all European competition. Anythime any violence or racist abuse happens in Spain or Italy nothing happens. When England played Spain in Madrid a year ago there was sickening abuse directed at our black players. What happened? A $6000 fne for the Spanish FA. Fuck all.
UEFA need to get it's head out of it's arsehole and realise that England are not the bad guys anymore, in fact our grounds are the safest and best in the world, but they have to punish the Italians for this to set an example. If Feynoord were thgrown out of the UEFA cup for crowd trouble then surely the book has to be thrown at the Italian FA. Surely.
Maybe if the fans were deprived of europena competition for a season or two then they'd wake the fuck up. It worked for us back in the 80's. The italians also need to ban hooligans from all football grounds, at the moment they are not doing that. Persistant trouble makers should be banned from all football grounds.
The thing that really pisses me off about this is that fact the when people, especially those who know nothing about football, think that hooliganism is an English problem.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:11 am Posts: 6822 Location: College Station, TX, USA Gender: Male
spaggy boy wrote:
See, this the fucking bullshit thing about UEFA, if this happened in England then we'd be banned for life from all European competition. Anythime any violence or racist abuse happens in Spain or Italy nothing happens. When England played Spain in Madrid a year ago there was sickening abuse directed at our black players. What happened? A $6000 fne for the Spanish FA. Fuck all.
UEFA need to get it's head out of it's arsehole and realise that England are not the bad guys anymore, in fact our grounds are the safest and best in the world, but they have to punish the Italians for this to set an example. If Feynoord were thgrown out of the UEFA cup for crowd trouble then surely the book has to be thrown at the Italian FA. Surely.
Maybe if the fans were deprived of europena competition for a season or two then they'd wake the fuck up. It worked for us back in the 80's. The italians also need to ban hooligans from all football grounds, at the moment they are not doing that. Persistant trouble makers should be banned from all football grounds.
The thing that really pisses me off about this is that fact the when people, especially those who know nothing about football, think that hooliganism is an English problem.
Not anymore. It's got fuck all to do with us.
It pisses me off a lot more then people, especially those who use it as an example on television shows in the US, think Hillsborough was the result of hooliganism.
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 3:00 pm Posts: 19826 Location: Alone in a corridor
It's been suggested that Catania might even lose some points in the league. Wow. So huge! Fucking Italians. What will the next step be? Give em the points right back after a few months just like with the last scandal over there?
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
