Season 06/07 - February

Catania - Palermo - 02/02/07


Policeman dies at Catania.

source: AP + Ansa

A policeman has died outside the Massimino stadium in Catania after riots following the 2-1 loss to Palermo. The Sicilian derby was marred by crowd violence, which saw play delayed in the second half after teargas was thrown on the pitch.
The deceased policeman has been named as Filippo Raciti, aged 38.
The ANSA and Apcom news agencies said the officer was killed after an explosive device was thrown at him.
Catania's magistrate has already opened an inquiry about the events.
The Italian Federation commissioner, Luca Pancalli, was immediately informed about the situation and has decided to suspend the weekend's Serie A programme.
It is believed that hooliganism inside the stadium - which caused the match to be delayed twice - had spilled over into mass confrontation outside.
Both of Palermo's goals were contentious - Andrea Caracciolo's opener looked offside while David Di Michele's winner was clearly a handball.
Over a hundred people are reported to have been injured during the clashes.
It is not known how the policeman died or whether the incident that led to his death involved the spectator violence.











Source: AFP

Italian soccer stops after policeman's death
Sat 03 Feb, 12:24 AM

ROME (AFP) - All Italian football matches were suspended after a 38-year-old policeman was killed when violence flared during and after the Serie A match between bitter Sicilian rivals Catania and Palermo.

The policeman was named as Filippo Raciti while another officer was believed to be seriously injured.

Hundreds of people were hurt as fighting continued after the game.

As a result of the tragedy, the Italian football federation (FIGC) announced that all matches, professional and amateur, scheduled for this weekend would be cancelled and that the suspension was likely to be indefinite.

Next week's friendly international between Italy, the World Cup winners, and Romania in Siena was also called off.

Football federation (FIGC) chief Luca Pancalli said that the suspension of the matches could last longer and the matter will be discussed next week.

"One day is not sufficient," said Pancalli. "Without drastic measures, we can't play again.

"We will immediately set up a commission to discuss the situation between sport and politics. Its not possible to carry on like this. If this is football, then Im stopping everything."

He said that he would meet with Italian prime minister Romano Prodi on Monday.

"Football in Italy must stop and take stock. Enough is enough," said Pancalli.

"I cannot find the words to describe a 38-year-old man who lost his life in such a way. All the football authorities I spoke to agreed that we had to stop everything. This is completely unacceptable."

Sergio Campana, the head of the players association in Italy, demanded a longer suspension.

"I think that faced with these events, football should stop for a year and see if we can change our whole approach to sport," said Campana.

Raciti was hit in the face by a homemade bomb thrown from the crowd.

He died at the Garibaldi Hospital in Catania.

Palermo won the game 2-1 but the highly-charged Sicilian derby was overshadowed by the violence.

Later Friday, nine Catania fans including four minors, were arrested, reported the ANSA news agency.

However, none were believed to be in connection with the death of Raciti.

Friday's game had already been brought forward to because of fears over public safety. But even an early kick-off did nothing to quell the unrest.

The game was suspended after an hour when tear gas, used by police to halt the trouble, drifted onto the field.

Adding to the problems was the fact that Palermo supporters were unable to get into the Stadio Massimino until the second half.

Palermo took the lead after 55 minutes when Andrea Caracciolo scored from a pass from Mark Bresciano.

The goal coincided with the arrival of the Palermo fans. It was also the cue for the trouble to start.

Reports claimed that fireworks were lobbed into the area where the Palermo supporters were sitting. They fought back and tear gas made it impossible for play to continue.

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

Within 60 seconds of the restart, Catania equalized through Fabio Caserta.

Palermo's winning goal in the 83rd minute was controversial with David di Michele finding the back of the net although Catania claimed the ball came off the striker's arm.

Catania president Antonio Pulvirenti blamed Palermo fans for the violence.

"Clearly the incidents were provoked by the Palermo fans when they entered the stadium," he said.

"Before then, nothing had happened, but they started causing trouble and as the images show threw tear gas on to the pitch."

Not surprisingly, Palermo coach Francesco Guidolin blamed Catania fans for the violence.

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

Ironically, Friday's match had been preceded by a minute's silence in memory of Ermanno Licursi, a director of amateur team Sanmartinese who died last Saturday following crowd trouble at the end of their match against Calabrian rivals Cancellese.

Italian prime minister Romano Prodi warned that football in the country needed radical surgery if it was to stop the violence.

"My first thoughts are for the people affected by the violence and their families," said Prodi who backed the decision by the Italian football authorities to call off matches.

"It is the right signal and is necessary to avoid the degeneration of the sport."

Clashes suspend Italian matches - 03/02/2007

Source: Reuters

PALERMO (Reuters) - Italy indefinitely suspended the country's international and domestic football matches on Friday after a policeman was killed during clashes at a derby game between Sicilian clubs Catania and Palermo, authorities said.

The 38-year-old police officer died shortly after a rioter tossed an explosive into his car, outside the Serie A match in Catania, police said. The death was the second in little over a week connected to an Italian football game.

About 100 people were wounded, between officers and fans, in clashes led by hooded rioters who hurled fireworks and lashed out at police with makeshift weapons. Police said they arrested nine people and had detained 23 others.

The latest bloodshed stunned a nation that just last summer triumphantly celebrated their World Cup victory in Germany, and the government called a high-level crisis meeting for Monday to hammer out emergency measures to halt the violence.

"We must send a clear message that we must stop the kind of degeneration of sport that unfortunately happens so often," Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said in a statement.

The Italian football federation (FIGC) quickly declared that all the weekend's matches were suspended, then clarified that the suspension was indefinite and that it also applied to the national team.

Italy had been scheduled to welcome Romania for a friendly on Wednesday.

The world champions are due to host Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier on March 28. They are third in Group B two points behind the Scots and France.

EMERGENCY MEETING

"We can't continue to go on like this," said FIGC's extraordinary commissioner Luca Pancalli. "Italian soccer will stop. And it will stop until we identify a road, serious and drastic, to allow the possibility of resuming the championships."

Pancalli said the emergency meeting on Monday with the interior and sports ministers must identify new measures, "otherwise we won't start again".

Earlier this week, he had threatened to halt the country's championships after violence last weekend also left one man dead.

An official of amateur league club Sammartinese died after being caught up in a fight at the end of a game. A minute's silence was due to be held at games this weekend.

Friday's match, which Palermo won 2-1, had been suspended for more than half-an-hour after smoke -- partly from tear gas launched outside the stadium -- made play impossible.

But the most violent clashes came after the match. Hundreds of angry rioters put up a fight for hours, as streams of fans fled down city streets to safety.

The latest victim, policeman Filippo Raciti, who leaves behind a wife and two children, was in a "desperate situation" after a protester hurled an explosive at him inside his car, his doctor said. Raciti's heart stopped within a few minutes of his arrival at the hospital.

The Mayor of Catania, Umberto Scapagnini, was in the operating room during the 45 minutes of fruitless efforts to revive him.

"There just are no words to say -- to see a life cut down like this there are just no words," Scapagnini said. "This is absurd, incomprehensible and absolutely unacceptable."

Magistrates said they opened an investigation into the killing.

Palermo coach Francesco Guidolin summed up the mood.

"I am very disillusioned," he was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport's Web site (www.gazzetta.it).

"What has happened tonight offends sport and a beautiful and civil city like Catania. It cannot go on like this. If we do not recapture certain values, it cannot go on."

FIGC Suspends Football In Italy - 03/02/2007

Source: Sportinglife.com

Football in Italy has been indefinitely suspended after a police officer was killed during serious trouble at the Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo.

The policeman, named as Filippo Raciti, was 38.

According to reports, he was struck in the face by a small explosive while attempting to deal with fighting outside the stadium. He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries.

The Italian football federation (FIGC) held an emergency meeting on Friday evening, and commissioner Luca Pancalli then announced an immediate suspension of football.

"I have demanded a stop to all activity of football in Italy," Pancalli said in a statement. "Enough is enough.

"It's a situation that I cannot speak of. To lose your life at 38 is incredible. This is not a sport."

Speaking at a hastily-arranged press conference in Rome, Pancalli said the suspension would remain in place indefinitely.

"The football tournaments will remain suspended until we solve the violence in our football," he said. "It's unacceptable that such incidents happen in a country like Italy."

Italy were hoping to host the European Championships in 2012.

"At this moment I'm not thinking about [the bid] but should we lose our Euro 2012 bid because of this situation, we would deserve to lose it," Pancalli added.

Italy's national team was due to play Romania in Siena on Wednesday but that game - and the under-21 fixture against Belgium in Chieti on Tuesday - will not go ahead as things stand.

The president of the Italian Olympic Committee, Gianni Petrucci, has backed the FIGC's decision to suspend all football activity, and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi added his voice to those calling for action to be taken to stop the trouble.

"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."

Around 100 people were reported to be injured - some seriously - after fighting erupted in the build-up to the game at the Angelo Massimino Stadium.

Trouble continued throughout the evening, with the game suspended for around 30 minutes at one stage.

Palermo won the match 2-1 but players and staff were held in the stadium by police after the game while the area was secured.

They reacted with disgust to the news that the officer had died.

Palermo coach Francesco Guidolin said: "I am extremely disappointed. Things cannot continue like this.

"We didn't know anything. We had to go back to the changing rooms because we couldn't breathe. If we cannot get into our heads that football is a sport we cannot live in the world of football.

"What has happened tonight offends sport and a beautiful city like Catania."

Club president Maurizio Zamparini added: "This evening no one has won. We have all lost. These people are not fans, but are delinquents that in other countries like England would have been arrested and seriously punished.

"Unfortunately in Italy these things are still allowed to happen. We need more severe laws."

Prior to kick-off a minute's silence had been held following the death of a club official from lower league club Sammartinese at a game last weekend.

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."

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

Catania - Palermo: pics + video

Video: https://www.dailymotion.com/visited/search/catania%2Bpalermo%2B/video/x14azt_riots-in-italy

Dinamo Bucarest - Steaua Bucarest - Handball - 03/02/2007

Source: Gazeta

UEFA chief Platini backs Italy stance against violence - 03/02/2007

Source: Reuteers

UEFA president Michel Platini gave his support on Saturday to the Italian Football Federation's (FIGC) decision to suspend play at all levels of the game in the country following the death of a policeman at a match.

Platini, elected UEFA president on January 26, also offered condolences to the family of the policeman killed in clashes between fans at a Serie A game in Sicily on Friday, the second soccer-related death in Italy in a week.

"Firstly, I extend my heartfelt personal condolences, together with those of the entire European football family, to the family of the police officer, Filippo Raciti, who lost his life yesterday," Platini said.

"Violence of any sort is unacceptable and it has absolutely no place in the game of football -- we do not condone it, we must not accept it and we must act to eradicate it," he added in a statement on the official UEFA Web site (www.uefa.com).

"That is why today UEFA offers its whole-hearted support for the actions taken by the FIGC's extraordinary commissioner, Luca Pancalli, to indefinitely suspend all international and domestic matches until further notice."

Platini vowed UEFA would help the Italian authorities and those of other European countries to eradicate violence from football.

"Following the death of a Paris Saint-Germain FC supporter last year and the rioting of Feyenoord fans in Nancy, this latest episode further deepens our concern about violence creeping back into the game," Platini said.

"We must now work together with the Italian football authorities and politicians in support of the Italian game, and find a solution to this spiral of violence that is plaguing European football."

Italy vows drastic action to curb violence - 03/02/2007

Source: Reuters

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has promised drastic measures to confront football violence after a policeman died in clashes between rampaging fans at a Serie A match in Sicily.

Prodi intervened after all play in the country's leagues was suspended indefinitely following the nation's second football-related death in a week.

"We cannot continuously put the lives of police officers at risk and need a remedy that makes football clubs feel responsible (for fans' actions) and radically changes the situation," Prodi told reporters in Bologna.

The prime minister and sports officials convened a series of meetings to hammer out emergency measures to curb future hooliganism.

But a quick resumption of matches appeared unlikely, with Interior Minister Giuliano Amato saying he would not send police to matches under existing conditions.

"Enough is enough," he told Italian television. "Violence is everywhere, but violence in the stadiums connected to a game -- I find that truly unacceptable."

Smoke from fans' flares hangs over Palermo and Catania players
view photo

Brawls at matches in Italy are not uncommon. But images of hundreds of hooded rioters taking on police with flares, wooden sticks and firecrackers in Catania on Friday triggered outrage.

Local media called it a shameful disgrace for a nation that brought home the World Cup last year, while the Vatican said the riot scenes resembled war zones like Baghdad and Beirut.

"Soccer in Italy died yesterday evening along with the policeman," said l'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.

The violence was also a blow to Italy's bid to host the 2012 European Championships -- with La Stampa newspaper calling for Italy to withdraw from the race.

TEAR GAS

The trouble at the match between Catania and island rivals Palermo began with smoke, partly from tear gas fired outside the stadium, suspending play for half an hour.

Violent clashes between rioters and police lasted for hours after the game, during which a large firecracker exploded in the face of 38-year old police officer Filippo Raciti. He died as he arrived at hospital. More than 70 people were injured.

Six days earlier, a club official was killed in a fight after an amateur match in the southern town of Luzzi.

"You can't be allowed to kill a policeman and leave two children as orphans just because you think you have the right to root for your team," Salvatore Renda, a policeman who was injured on Friday, told Italian television.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC), which ordered the indefinite suspension of matches, called for a minute of silence on Saturday and Sunday. Italy's friendly against Romania in Siena on Wednesday was called off.

The Italian Olympic Committee will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation. Prodi will meet ministers on Monday to propose new measures, while Amato is expected to address Parliament on Tuesday.

RADICAL CHANGES

The president of the Italian Footballers' Association, Sergio Campana, called for the leagues to be halted for at least a year, while Italy's sports minister and other officials said the games will not resume unless there are radical changes.

Raciti was the 13th person to be killed in or around Italy's football stadiums since 1962. The last fatality at a Serie A match happened in 1995 when a Genoa fan was stabbed to death before a game against AC Milan.

Donadoni slams Italy's lax approach to hooliganism - 03/02/2007

Source: AFP

Roberto Donadoni believes the problem of football hooliganism in Italy should have been properly dealt with years ago.

The Italy coach spoke after all professional and amateur football championships were suspended following the death of a policeman during crowd trouble at Friday's Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo.

"We don't practice what we preach," said Donadoni whose team's friendly against Romania next Wednesday was also called off.

"We've wasted enough time and it can't go on any longer."

Donadoni said Italy has not learned its lesson since the fatal stabbing of Genoa fan Vincenzo Spagnolo in January 1995 before a Serie A match against AC Milan, which led to a suspension of Serie A.

"We've been talking about these incidents for years and they still keep on happening," said Donadoni who played for AC Milan that day but along with the other players chose not to carry on after half-time.

"Too often we talk without taking proper and decisive action. It's time to stop all that and take concrete steps."

Policeman Filippo Raciti died after a home-made bomb was thrown into his car as fans fought with officers outside the Massimino stadium. The violence also left 71 people injured.

Raciti's death follows the murder last Saturday of Ermanno Licursi, a director of Calabria-based amateur team Sammartinese who suffered a brain haemorrhage after being kicked in the face by a fan of rival team Cancellese.

The violence which has erupted in Italy over the past week could dent Italy's chances of hosting the 2012 European championships.

Catania president poised to reign - 03/02/2007

Source: Teamtalk

Catania president Antonino Pulvirenti has announced he will resign after the death of a police officer during the Sicilian derby with Palermo.The FIGC has announced an immediate and indefinite suspension of all football in the country following the tragic incident.

"I do not feel that I can continue after what happened," said Pulvirenti.

"I had hoped that certain events that have already happened during the season - those that cost us a ban at the ground - would have taught us something."

Catania were forced to play two games outside of the city earlier this season after violence marred another Sicilian derby - that against Messina - on September 23 last year.

Two police officers were injured in fighting at that game.

After Friday's violence, Catania's website was effectively shut down, and carried only a single statement on a black background.

"It seems absurd to be writing about football at this time," the statement read.

"Our thoughts are only with the family of the police officer who lost his life to guarantee public order during a match."

A statement on the Palermo website read: "Following the most serious incidents outside the Catania-Palermo match, which have caused the death of an officer from the mobile unit of the Police Headquarters of Catania, Filippo Raciti, any comment on the game is absolutely superfluous.

"Palermo football club expresses its sympathy to the family of the police officer and all those who have been involved.

"These deplorable incidents have nothing to do with football or sport."

Ajax Amsterdam - Feyenoord Rotterdam - 04/02/2007

Source: Ajaxfotoside.nl

Prior to the game, police forces arrested 11 Ajax fans.
During the game, a local was also arrested.
Another one was arrested after the game.

Italian football in the grip of the 'ultras' - 04/02/2007

Source: AFP

Italy will need to get tough on its 'ultras' if it is to prevent further disgraceful scenes like the ones in Catania which claimed the life of a policeman.

All domestic and international matches have been suspended after Filippo Raciti was killed by a home-made bomb as hooligans went on the rampage at Friday's Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo.

Catania president Antonio Pulvirenti said his club were fighting a losing battle against the mafia-like troublemakers.

"The majority of fans that come to football are respectable people, but unfortunately there is a unsavoury minority made up of criminals and thugs who nobody cares about and they unleash their anger in this way," he said Sunday.

"They live like barbarians and for three years now we have been held hostage by these people. For us it has become a daily battle, but we can only do so much on our own."

Pulvirenti said he expected the Italian football authorities to come down hard on his club after Friday's riot.

"I fear the worst, but what can we do if one of these delinquents throws a bomb at a policeman outside the stadium? We're sure to pay a dear price."

Ultras have a much bigger voice in Italy compared to most other leagues in Europe, and in most cases are well known to their clubs.

They often use intimidatory tactics to get free match tickets, travel concessions to away matches and to have the freedom to run their own merchandising rackets.

Often in Italy, scores of ultras will turn up at a training session to barrack their team if they are playing badly, or worse still attack them.

Perhaps the best example of fan power came in March 2004 when the Rome derby between Roma and Lazio was abandoned.

After the match had kicked-off, a rumour went round that a young Roma fan had been knocked over and killed by a police car.

Just before half time three Roma ultras leapt over the barriers and walked towards the pitch to speak to Roma captain Francesco Totti.

After the conversation, Totti returned to his coach Fabio Capello and his words were clearly picked up by television microphones. "If we play on they're going to kill us," he said.

Referee Roberto Rosetti wanted to play on, but Totti and Lazio captain Sinisa Mihailovic were having none of it, and the game was called off.

The rumour about the dead fan turned out to be false, but Roma denied they had been blackmailed by the ultras. It was a show of strength by the ultras and demonstrated the power they yield in Italian football.

Legislation to try and stop the violence inside the grounds was introduced over a year ago, including named tickets, increased video surveillance, and the banning of flares, fireworks and racist banners.

But many clubs have failed to meet the criteria set by the government, leaving the ultras to do as they please inside the stadiums.

Clubs bear the burden of their misbehaving ultras and are normally hit with a fine or a stadium closure, while fans who are arrested often escape with a caution and are free to cause havoc the following weekend.

Outside the stadium there is little the clubs can do, with the problem then coming under the jurisdiction of the police.

Nowadays it seem the police are the primary target for the ultras rather than rival fans.

"They're our nemesis," an Inter ultra told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Italian government are holding a meeting on Monday to discuss ways of tackling the problem, and unless they come down heavy on the ultras once and for all, hooliganism could prove fatal yet again.

Italian police continue probe - 04/02/2007

Source: Teamtalk

Police are yet to charge anyone in connection with the death of a policeman during the crowd violence surrounding Friday's Sicilian derby.However, 29 arrests have been made following the Catania v Palermo match and several explosive devices have been found in searches of various properties.

Many of those arrested are attached to Catania's "ultra" fans who congregate in the Curva Nord of the Stadio Massimino.

An autopsy on Filippo Raciti was carried out on Sunday by pathologist Giuseppe Ragazzi.

The cause of death has been reported as internal bleeding due to the severity of the blow received in the abdominal area by the officer.

Raciti, a 38-year-old father of two, will be buried on Monday after a requiem mass at Catania's Cathedral which will be said by Catania's Archbishop Salvatore Gristina and Monsignor Paolo Romeo, Italy's papal nuncio.

"Monsignor Romeo will bring with him the support and encouragement of the holy father (Pope) Benedict XVI," said a statement released by the Catania archdiocese.

Italy's minister of the interior, Giuliano Amato, will represent the Italian state.

An opportunity has been given for the people of Catania to pay tribute to the dead officer by filing past his coffin.

The mood of the city is sombre on a weekend where festivities normally take place to celebrate the feast day of its patron saint, St Agatha.

Ironically, it was because of the feast day that the fixture between Catania and Palermo was moved forward to Friday evening.

However, there have also been more instances of offensive graffiti referring to the dead officer reported in Palermo and Bologna.

On Saturday offensive messages were discovered in Leghorn and Piacenza.

An emergency meeting of Italian sport's highest body, CONI, was being held on Sunday.

There is no indication yet as to when football will resume but a two-week moratorium is seen as the most likely outcome.

Luca Pancalli, the commissioner of the Italian Football Federation, said that officials would wait until the funeral is over before saying when the suspension would be lifted on football.

Among measures being considered by CONI are the refusal to licence organisations that fail to comply with required standards.

Italian clubs warned on hooligans - 04/02/2007

Source: Reuters

ROME (Reuters) - Stadiums which fail to adopt tougher anti-hooliganism measures could be banned from staging matches next season, Italy's top sporting body said on Sunday following the death of a policeman on Friday.

At an emergency meeting after all football in Italy had been suspended indefinitely the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), also urged clubs to break off all relations with violent fans.

CONI and football officials said they would wait until after a meeting with the government on Monday before deciding how long the suspension would last.

Luca Pancalli, commissioner of the Italian football federation, said the delay was also a sign of respect for Filippo Raciti, whose funeral is scheduled for Monday in Sicily.

"I will not budge from my decision to suspend the championship until tomorrow after I have discussed important matters with the government. Any decision will in any case be delayed until after the funeral," he said.

All football matches from children's leagues to the national team's friendly against Romania on Wednesday have been cancelled while the sporting authorities and politicians consider the new measures.

Filippo Raciti
view photo

CONI president Gianni Petrucci told a news conference after the meeting that clubs whose stadiums do not adopt stricter anti-hooligan measures, including greater ticket controls and more closed circuit cameras, would not be able to host games.

He said they would have to implement the changes by the start of the next season.

A man looks at flowers placed at Massimo stadium in memory of a police officer killer during soccer riots the previous night in Catania
view photo

The meeting, which was less conclusive than some commentators had wanted, followed national outrage over the death of Raciti in the Sicilian city of Catania at a derby with arch-rivals Palermo on Friday night.

Although brawls at Italian stadiums are common, the riots shocked a nation still basking in the glow of its World Cup victory last year.

Smoke from fans' flares hangs over Palermo and Catania players
view photo

"If the attack was extraordinary, the response has to be extraordinary as well," Interior Minister Giuliano Amato told La Repubblica newspaper. "The fans are risking the possibility of never seeing football again -- of being without football forever, with stadiums empty and barred."

Prime Minister Romano Prodi, who has promised radical measures, will meet top ministers on Monday to formulate new measures and Amato will address Parliament on Tuesday.

UNCONTROLLABLE "ULTRAS"

After the game in Catania, hooded fans chased police vans and hurled flares and fireworks, one of which exploded in the face of the 38-year-old Raciti, who died in hospital. More than 70 people were injured.

Much of the violence is blamed on radical football supporters called "ultras" who have resisted any measures to control their behaviour.

The shock went far beyond Sicily.

A day after the riots, anti-police graffiti was scrawled on walls as far north as Livorno, near the border with France.

One called for the deaths of more policemen and another used the English acronym ACAB, meaning "All Cops Are Bastards".

Raciti was the 13th person to be killed in or around Italy's football stadiums since 1962.

The last fatality at a First Division match was in 1995 when a Genoa fan was stabbed to death before a game against AC Milan. The championship was suspended for day at the time.

In a sign of mourning, city-wide festivities for the feast of Catania's patron Saint Agatha were scaled down. Many residents had called for the whole feast to be scrapped.

Emergency meeting after policeman's death - 04/02/2007

Source: Reuters

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) held an emergency meeting on Sunday as football stadiums fell silent for the second day in a row after a policeman died following fan violence in the Sicilian city of Catania on Friday.

All football matches from children's leagues to the national team's friendly against Romania on Wednesday have been cancelled while the authorities consider draconian measures such as matches behind closed doors.

"If the attack was extraordinary, the response has to be extraordinary as well," Interior Minister Giuliano Amato told La Repubblica newspaper. "The fans are risking the possibility of never seeing football again -- of being without football forever, with stadiums empty and barred."

CONI, Italian sport's top governing body, convened to decide policy and make recommendations before meeting the government on Monday.

Other measures being considered include a ban on organised groups of fans moving from one place to the next, introducing tickets with fan's names on them and more closed circuit cameras.

Prime Minister Romano Prodi, who has promised radical measures, will meet top ministers on Monday to formulate new measures and Amato will address Parliament on Tuesday.

Although brawls at Italian stadiums are common, the riots following Friday night's Serie A match between Sicilian arch-rivals Palermo and Catania shocked a nation still basking in the glow of its World Cup victory last year.

UNCONTROLLABLE "ULTRAS"

After the game in Catania, hooded fans chased police vans and hurled flares and fireworks, one of which exploded in the face of 38-year-old police officer Filippo Raciti, who died in hospital. More than 70 people were injured.

Much of the violence is blamed on radical football supporters called "ultras" who have resisted any measures to control their behaviour.

The shock went far beyond Sicily.

A day after the riots, anti-police graffiti was scrawled on walls as far north as Livorno, near the border with France.

One called for the deaths of more policemen and another used the English acronym ACAB, meaning "All Cops Are Bastards".

Raciti was the 13th person to be killed in or around Italy's football stadiums since 1962.

The last fatality at a First Division match was in 1995 when a Genoa fan was stabbed to death before a game against AC Milan. The championship was suspended for day at the time.

In a sign of mourning, city-wide festivities for the feast of Catania's patron Saint Agatha were scaled down. Many residents had called for the whole feast to be scraped.

Italy vows drastic action to curb violence - 04/02/2007

Source: Reuters

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has promised drastic measures to confront football violence after a policeman died in clashes between rampaging fans at a Serie A match in Sicily.

Prodi intervened after all play in the country's leagues was suspended indefinitely following the nation's second football-related death in a week.

"We cannot continuously put the lives of police officers at risk and need a remedy that makes football clubs feel responsible (for fans' actions) and radically changes the situation," Prodi told reporters in Bologna.

The prime minister and sports officials convened a series of meetings to hammer out emergency measures to curb future hooliganism.

But a quick resumption of matches appeared unlikely, with Interior Minister Giuliano Amato saying he would not send police to matches under existing conditions.

"Enough is enough," he told Italian television. "Violence is everywhere, but violence in the stadiums connected to a game -- I find that truly unacceptable."

Brawls at matches in Italy are not uncommon. But images of hundreds of hooded rioters taking on police with flares, wooden sticks and firecrackers in Catania on Friday triggered outrage.

Local media called it a shameful disgrace for a nation that brought home the World Cup last year, while the Vatican said the riot scenes resembled war zones like Baghdad and Beirut.

"Soccer in Italy died yesterday evening along with the policeman," said l'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.

The violence was also a blow to Italy's bid to host the 2012 European Championships -- with La Stampa newspaper calling for Italy to withdraw from the race.

TEAR GAS

The trouble at the match between Catania and island rivals Palermo began with smoke, partly from tear gas fired outside the stadium, suspending play for half an hour.

Violent clashes between rioters and police lasted for hours after the game, during which a large firecracker exploded in the face of 38-year old police officer Filippo Raciti. He died as he arrived at hospital. More than 70 people were injured.

Six days earlier, a club official was killed in a fight after an amateur match in the southern town of Luzzi.

"You can't be allowed to kill a policeman and leave two children as orphans just because you think you have the right to root for your team," Salvatore Renda, a policeman who was injured on Friday, told Italian television.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC), which ordered the indefinite suspension of matches, called for a minute of silence on Saturday and Sunday. Italy's friendly against Romania in Siena on Wednesday was called off.

The Italian Olympic Committee will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation. Prodi will meet ministers on Monday to propose new measures, while Amato is expected to address Parliament on Tuesday.

RADICAL CHANGES

The president of the Italian Footballers' Association, Sergio Campana, called for the leagues to be halted for at least a year, while Italy's sports minister and other officials said the games will not resume unless there are radical changes.

Raciti was the 13th person to be killed in or around Italy's football stadiums since 1962. The last fatality at a Serie A match happened in 1995 when a Genoa fan was stabbed to death before a game against AC Milan.

Vitesse Arnhem - NEC Nijmegen - 03/02/2007

Source: TV Gelderland

For this derby game, 6 people were arrested.

IJsselmeervogels - Quick Boys - 02/02/2007

Source: hardcorehooligan.nl

The police forces from Utrecht Spakenburg arrested more than 50 people (mainly from Quick Boy) for this dutch amateur game.

Italy buries policeman killed by hooligans - 05/02/2007

Source: Reuters

Italy's football industry urged government and sporting authorities meeting on Monday to lift a ban on soccer matches as the nation paused for the funeral of a policeman killed by rioting fans.

A soccer-mad nation which only seven months ago celebrated a World Cup victory was stunned by the outcome of riots at a derby between rival Sicilian teams Catania and Palermo on Friday, in which the policeman died and over 70 people were injured.

Ministers and soccer federation officials have vowed to hammer out emergency measures. Possible steps reportedly being considered include banning spectators from unsafe stadiums and redirecting a percentage of TV profits to improve security.

But the industry was worried that officials could decide to prolong a costly suspension imposed last Friday on a sport that, beyond being a national obsession, rakes in an estimated six billion euros (4 billion pounds) a year.

Antonio Matarrese, who represents the financial interests of the teams as president of the football league, said hooliganism was largely a police matter and matches should be resumed.

"We are pained, but the show must go on," he told La Repubblica newspaper. "Soccer must never shut down."

Italy's Interior Minister Amato
view photo

Speaking about the death of 38-year-old policeman Filippo Raciti, Matarrese said: "Deaths in the soccer system unfortunately are part of this enormous (hooligan) movement that the police have not been yet able to control."

Monday's meeting was set to begin at 4.30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. British time).

A man reads notes
view photo

"STAIN ON SOCCER"

The prime minister described the riots in the Sicilian city of Catania as a "guerrilla war". Hooded youths wielding metal poles and large firecrackers lashed out at police, as streams of fans fled down city streets to safety.

A sign of apology
view photo

"It was terrible, terrible, terrible," Pierluigi Zotta, one Rome soccer fan who had had time to reflect on the violence after a weekend without soccer, told Reuters television.

"Unfortunately most people on Sunday spend their day watching football, I didn't know what to do with myself, but after this terrible thing it was right that soccer was stopped."

A firecracker which exploded in Raciti's face was initially considered the cause of death, though a prosecutor said an autopsy showed it was due to a blow from a blunt object.

Raciti's coffin, draped in the Italian flag, was driven through the packed streets of Catania on Monday to the cathedral, with thousands of onlookers solemnly applauding in a customary sign of respect.

Throughout the country, Italians paused, with Rome's main airport suspending all check-ins for a minute of silence. The Catholic funeral service, presided over by the city's archbishop, was broadcast live on national television.

Pope Benedict, in a message of condolence sent by the Vatican secretary of state, expressed his "firm condemnation for any act of violence that stains the world of soccer".

Prime Minister Romano Prodi told Raciti's widow and two children that his death had "shocked and moved Italy". He said hooligans had transformed a simple game into "a guerrilla war".

Raciti's 15-year-old daughter gave a tearful speech, saying: "I hope your death can transform society". His wife told the mourners that Raciti's last day started like any other.

"We said goodbye just like we always do. 'Ciao, see you later'. I imagined he would come back a bit bruised," she said. "I never imagined he would come back like this."

Raciti was the 13th person to be killed in or around Italy's football stadiums since 1962. The last fatality at a Serie A match happened in 1995 when a Genoa fan was stabbed to death before a game against AC Milan.

UEFA President Michel Platini said his organisation would give full backing to any security measures proposed by Italy's football federation, as it prepares its bid for the 2012 European soccer championships.

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), at an emergency meeting on Sunday, urged clubs to break off all relations with violent fans and said stadiums which fail to adopt tough

measures could be banned from staging games next season.

Shares in Juventus and A.S. Roma both slipped 1.8 percent on Monday as the main Milan index was flat.

Italy to hold football violence crisis meeting - 05/02/2007

Source: AFP

A top Italian football official says that death is part of the sport and games should not be halted, as the funeral was held for a policeman killed in a football riot.

Thousands, including Italy's justice and sports ministers, attended the funeral in the Sicily of Filippo Raciti, the policeman killed Friday when a home made bomb was thrown into his car.

All matches were halted and the Italian government was to hold a crisis meeting on Monday to decide new measures against football violence.

But Antonio Matarrese, president of Italy's Professional Football League Clubs association, said matches should be allowed to start again.

"Deaths unfortunately form part of this huge movement which is football and which the forces of order are not always able to control," Matarrese said in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper published Monday.

"Football should never be stopped. It's the number one rule: football is the industry...do you think there's an industry that would close its factories and not know when they're going to reopen?"

"We are touched, but the show must go on," he told the paper.

"When Fiat wants to have a relaunch it doesn't stop its production line. We want to copy the manner of the relaunch of Fiat."

Italy's sports minister Giovanna Melandri pledged on Sunday that "important measures" will be quickly introduced to battle hooliganism.

Melandri and Interior Minister Giuliano Amato was also among mourners at Catania Cathedral for Raciti's funeral. About 1,000 people were inside the cathedral and several thousand more waited outside -- highlighting the nationwide shock caused by the policeman's death.

Even Pope Benedict XVI strongly condemned football violence in a special message of condolences published by the Vatican.

"The Holy Father exhorts all sides to act with the greatest determination for the respect of legality, the promotion of loyalty, solidarity and a spirit of healthy competition."

Amato, Melandri, Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, Italian Olympic committee (CONI) president Gianni Petrucci and Italian football federation chief Luca Pancalli were to attend Monday's crisis meeting.

Melandri meanwhile has refused to give a specific date for the eventual resumption of domestic and international fixtures. He said it was not certain Monday's meeting would be able to decide.

Pancalli said a return to action would depend on "the long term strategies to be put in place. It's not easy to repair the damage in a week or 10 days".

Raciti died after a home-made bomb was thrown into his car as police officers came under attack from Catania fans outside the Massimino stadium following the derby match against Palermo.

About 100 people were also injured during fights between Catania and Palermo fans.

Raciti, 38, leaves behind a wife and two sons.

Italian football widow's funeral speech moves nation - 05/02/2007

Source: Reuters

It is a tale of two widows. Both Sicilian, both lost their policeman husbands to violence -- one to the Mafia, one to a football mob. Both their funeral speeches moved a nation inured to violence and sparked calls for change.

When Marisa Raciti spoke at her husband's funeral on Monday to plead for an end to football violence, to many Italians it was eerily reminiscent of a speech made in Sicily 15 years ago by another widow.

Both have now become national symbols against violence, linked by the rare opportunity for a common person to address an entire nation on live television with leaders sitting in the front pew.

"I said goodbye to him like I always did. I expected him to come home, maybe with a few scars but I never thought he would come back to me like this (in a coffin)," Raciti said at Monday's funeral in the cathedral of Catania.

Her husband, Filippo, 38, was killed on Friday night during a football riot. Many of those in the mob -- most likely including her husband's killer -- were too young to vote or smoke legally.

"I appeal to those youngsters who immaturely, stupidly, ridiculously, look at a policeman or anybody who wears a uniform, with contempt and hate," she said calmly at the funeral which was broadcast live nationwide.

"I hope that my husband, who was an educator in life, will remain an educator in death, that this death can really bring about change ... "

"These youngsters should think a little. Sports is something beautiful, violence is not. Violence just causes pain, too much pain, too much pain," she said, as many in the church and around the country cried.

MAFIA CHALLENGED

Raciti's moving speech, applauded by the crowd in the cathedral and thousands of others outside, was the latest in a series of calls for authorities to crack down on football violence since her husband died.

Her emotional words brought back memories of May 25, 1992, when the entire nation also stopped to watch another funeral that turned out to be a landmark in the fight against the Mafia.

On that day, Rosaria Schifani delivered a bold personal challenge to the Mafia.

Her husband, Vito, was one of three police escorts blown apart in the huge highway bomb attack which killed Italy's top anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone and his wife two days before.

"I forgive you but you must get on your knees if you have the courage to change," she challenged the men of the Mafia.

Just as Schifani's chilling wail of pain was played over and over again on television 15 years ago, so was Raciti's calm challenge to young hooligans broadcast again and again on Monday on television and radio.

And, in an ironic twist of fate, one widow -- Raciti -- was from Catania and the other -- Schifani -- from Palermo -- the two cities whose archrival teams were involved in last Friday night's bloody Sicilian derby.

Italian Minister Considers Fan Ban - 05/02/2007

Source: Sportinglife

Italian clubs will be forced to play behind closed doors until their stadia meet current safety standards, Italy's interior minister Giuliano Amato has announced.

All domestic and international matches in the country have been postponed indefinitely after crowd unrest left a police officer dead and many others hurt following Friday's Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo.

Amato met with football authorities on Monday following the funeral of 38-year-old Filippo Raciti, and revealed a ban may be imposed on fans being allowed into some grounds in the country.

"We will not allow fans to go into a stadium that does not respect the current safety norms," said Amato.

"In stadia like that of Catania I will not admit anyone, I am firm on this. That game shouldn't have been played.

"Hence, only those stadia that meet the security norms will reopen to the fans, the other stadia will be used to play in but without fans until they meet guidelines.

"Our current norms are efficient if followed."

It is understood that only five stadia in Italy are currently acceptable in both Serie A and Serie B - the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, the Artemio Franchi in Siena, the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Renzo Barbera in Palermo and Bologna's Renato Dall'Ara.

Other grounds, such as the San Siro in Milan, do not fall far short of the guidelines which would allow fans to enter the stadium.

Authorities are set to meet again on Wednesday to hold further talks to discuss stadium security and try to reach a decision on which games will be played - if any - this weekend.

Italians demand safer stadiums - 05/02/2007

Source: TeamTalk

Italian football authorities will hold talks on Wednesday which could result in all but a few of Serie A and B grounds being closed to fans.Italy's interior minister Giuliano Amato has proposed that clubs will be forced to play behind closed doors until their stadia meet current safety standards.

All domestic and international matches in the country have been postponed indefinitely after crowd unrest left a police officer dead and many others hurt following Friday's Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo.

Amato met with football authorities on Monday following the funeral of 38-year-old Filippo Raciti, and revealed a ban may be imposed on fans being allowed into some grounds in the country.

"We will not allow fans to go into a stadium that does not respect the current safety norms," said Amato.

"In stadia like that of Catania, I will not admit anyone. I am firm on this. That game shouldn't have been played.

"Hence, only those stadia that meet the security norms will reopen to the fans, the other stadia will be used to play in but without fans until they meet guidelines.

"Our current norms are efficient if followed."

It is understood that only five stadia in Italy are currently acceptable in both Serie A and Serie B - the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, the Artemio Franchi in Siena, the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Renzo Barbera in Palermo and Bologna's Renato Dall'Ara.

Other grounds, such as the San Siro in Milan, do not fall far short of the guidelines which would allow fans to enter the stadium.

Authorities are set to meet again on Wednesday to hold further talks to discuss stadium security and try to reach a decision on which games will be played - if any - this weekend.

Ball boy banned for hitting keeper - 06/02/2007

Source: Reuters

A Brazilian ball boy was banned today for hitting a goalkeeper with an iron bar during a regional match at the weekend.

The Paulista (Sao Paulo state) football federation said on its Web site that Carlos Marcio dos Reis had been suspended for 30 days over the incident during the second division match between Comercial and Botafogo-Riberao Preto.

Comercial's Palma Travassos stadium was also closed until further notice and the federation will in future select the ball boys for the team's home matches.

"The behaviour could have led to serious incidents," said the federation's disciplinary tribunal in a statement.

Television pictures showed the boy hiding the ball behind an advertising board instead of handing it to Botafogo goalkeeper Marcao.

When Marcao tried to fetch the ball, the two argued and he was hit several times with an iron bar. The goalkeeper, who was not injured and carried on playing, did not react and the ball boy was led away by security officials.

Comercial won the match 1-0.

Vila Nova - Cruzeiro - 04/02/2007

Source: Reuters

Game interrupted in Brazil as fans, police clash

A Brazilian match was interrupted in the first half when fans clashed with police and tear gas floated across the pitch on Sunday.

Trouble broke out in the 27th minute of the Vila Nova-Cruzeiro game in Belo Horizonte as fighting erupted out on the terraces.

Television pictures showed riot police wading in and using tear gas to try and quell the problem involving supporters of the home team. Play was halted for eight minutes because the players were affected.

Play restarted but fighting broke out in the second half, this time between police and Cruzeiro suppoters. Pictures showed riot police, including at least two on horseback, lashing out with truncheons against the fans.

There were no reports of serious injuries.

The match, in the Minas Gerais state championship, ended 2-2, Cruzeiro equalising with a goal by striker Nene in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

There was also trouble before the Palmeiras-Santos match in Sao Paulo as rival supporters fought in the streets near the stadium.

Television pictures showed fans hurling plastic chairs and attacking each other with sticks and firecrackers before riot police using truncheons separated the brawlers. Several cars were damaged.



Video : http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/198917/0/brasil/violencia/futbol/