Season 07/08 - November

FC Den Bosch - FC Den Haag - 11/11/2007

Source: youtube.com

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=VWbHXPMu9fs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxCXW-oPIc4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVCVrBwzW1M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0RojcGf02U

Troubles occured, opposing rival fans, during and after the game.
The main incident erupted when Den Haag fans invaded the pitch to attack locals.
15 locals were arrested.
Pics report on: http://www.hardcorehooligan.net

Dinamo Bucharest - Rapid Bucharest - 11/11/2007

Source : Romanian Press + Forum

Dinamo ultras use more fireworks and referee, Augustus Constantin, stop the match 2 minutes.

In the stand, Rapid fans try to reach to Dinamo ultras who stay at the south stand.
Police force made an intervention.





VIDEO : http://www.sport.ro/stiri/20317/Fotbal- ... Rapid.html

VIDEOS:

Dinamo Bucharest ( North Terrace )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zJJgD7uW8A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_oDz6FN8mE
http://www.gsptv.ro/index/id/8058
South Terrace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QugFZc6pXxo

Birmingham City - Aston Villa - 11/11/2007

Source: forum

A large amount (400-500) of local lads tried to attack their arch-rivals.
Police made an intervention but were received with bricks, bottles...
In another place, a Villa escort with 40/50 lads run when 150 Zulus charged them and police.
It also seems another Villa mob had it with locals.

***********************************************************

Source: BBC

Officers hurt in football trouble

More than 20 police officers were injured and police vehicles were damaged in violence following a Premiership football derby.

West Midlands Police said some of their officers received minor injuries in scuffles after the Birmingham City and Aston Villa match on Sunday.

A police spokeswoman said six men aged between 16 and 25 were arrested and later released on bail.

Aston Villa won the game, at City's St Andrew's ground, 2-1.

The spokeswoman said the disorder started outside the ground after the match and continued up to St Martin's Church, outside the city centre's Bullring shopping centre.

Officers are now studying CCTV footage of the trouble.

"The majority who attended the game were well-behaved and it was only a small element that caused the disruption," the spokeswoman added.

*************************************************************

Source : icBirmingham

AN angry police chief today called for all Blues-Villa derbys to be played at breakfast-time with 10am kick-offs.

West Midlands Police Federation Chairman Paul Tonks made the call after revealing that more than 40 officers were hurt trying to separate hooligans after Aston Villa's 2-1 victory at St Andrew's on Sunday.

One officer had his front teeth kicked out as thugs linked to both clubs clashed with police outside the ground and in Digbeth, said Mr Tonks.

Furious Mr Tonks also accused Birmingham City FC bosses of being "in denial" over the hooligan element attached to the club.

But the accusation was denied by Blues managing director Karren Brady who insisted the club worked "diligently" with police.

She said: "Birmingham City FC want to make clear it is wholly unacceptable for police officers, in their line of duty, to suffer injuries and clearly one must take every possible step to ensure if at all possible this does not happen again.

"The club has no jurisdiction outside of the ground. We have sole responsibility for all spectators inside our boundaries and we have an excellent track record on safety and security," she added.

Mr Tonks, who represents the region's rank-and-file bobies, said: "Time has now come for football clubs, in particular Birmingham City, to take full responsibility for their so-called fans."

On the issue of early kick-offs, he called for a breakfast kick off and said 10am would be a good time.

He added: "If TV companies wouldn't want to televise a game starting so early, it would penalise clubs. It may well apply their minds when dealing with their hooligan element."

"Future games of this ilk should be policed with the appropriate number of officers both inside and outside the ground and the clubs made to bear the entire costs rather than the taxpayer.

"Why should the likes of Birmingham City, who are in denial over their hooligan element, be allowed to make vast profits and pay obscene salaries to footballers, yet not pay for the protection of supporters, away fans and police?

"Even if injured officers have just one day off, the public are the one's losing out. There has got to be some responsibility for that from football clubs."

Currently, clubs are only required to pay for policing inside the ground in a formula drawn up by the Government.

Blues paid more than £37,000 for police at St Andrews on Sunday. But Mr Tonks said it was wrong for taxpayers to have to fork out thousands more for what was a commercial sports event which diverted resources from elsewhere.

He said the club should now be forced to stump up the full cost of policing future derby games both inside and outside the ground.

Ms Brady said Birmingham City only had responsibility for security inside their stadium and insisted it was one of the "safest public venues in the country".

"The cost of policing inside and outside of St. Andrew's is decided by the Government and the club pays the highest rates in the country.

"The figures for policing are not under our control and are non-negotiable.

"The safety of everybody at St Andrew's is of paramount importance, we do and will continue to work closely with police to ensure the stadium is a safe family environment."

She added that the club was working with police to identify any troublemakers.

No-one was available for comment from Aston Villa.

A total of 17 people were arrested and bailed following Sunday's violence.

VIDEOS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0yji3eou5A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrKSA1EVsbM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54n59Pd_zuA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVSvjKNiA_8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEw0i3-Tu3o

************************************************************
Source: The Birmingham Post

Police hold 17 after Birmingham derby violenceNov 13 2007




By Emma Brady


Police had last night arrested 17 football hooligans after more than 20 officers were injured in violent clashes following Sunday's Birmingham derby at St Andrew's.

Rival fans were caught up in a spate of fights with each other and against police after Aston Villa beat Birmingham City 1-2 away.

An investigation into the post-match riots is ongoing, and West Midlands Police are scour-ing CCTV footage for further clues.

Several police vehicles were also damaged in the fighting.

Violence had flared outside the ground, in Bordesley Green and continued up to St Martin's in the Bullring.

Trouble also erupted in Edgbaston Street, at the back of the Bullring shopping centre, 90 minutes after the final whistle.

One Aston Villa supporter claimed trouble flared after the away fans came under attack as they were marched through Digbeth into the city centre by police.

More than 20 officers were assaulted trying to quell the violence. Police said they suffered minor injuries.

A number of police vehicles were also damaged, including a several riot vans being smashed up outside the ground.

Six people, aged between 16 and 25, were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of football-related disorder, but further arrests brought the tally up to 17.

Acting Det Chief Insp Paul Ford, of Steel-house Lane police station, said: "It was very disappointing behaviour from a small minority of so-called fans.

"There were a total of 28,000 people who attended the match but there was a small element of people who tried to spoil the reputation of two excellent football clubs - they are not real fans."

Earlier, Villa fans claimed they were left like 'sitting ducks' after being targeted by rival fans throwing bricks and bottles as police kept them in a car park at the ground for more than an hour.

One Villa fan from Sutton Coldfield, who did not want to be named, said: "There were about 2,000 of us penned in after the game for about an hour.

"Blues fans were rattling the gates and throwing things at us over the barriers.

"It was complete mayhem and everyone was doing their best to look after each other. It was really intimidating.

"The police were supposed to be escorting us but in the end we got split up and some of us had to hide."

Another fan, at the game with his 14-year-old son, said: "The police forced the Villa fans to walk into the city centre. It made us a target.

"I was frightened. I don't expect to have to take my son into an environment where I'm worried about my own safety let alone his. I will be writing to police about this."

Ambulance crews reported that nobody had been seriously injured immediately after the game but there had been a number of isolated incidents. Detectives were yesterday recovering footage from CCTV cameras outside the ground and through Digbeth in the hunt for evidence of those involved in trouble.

Acting Chief Insp Ford added: "We have a duty of care to make sure fans are kept safe. We kept opposing supporters separated to stop them attacking each other."

A spokesman for Birmingham City Football Club said: "Derby games can have quite a reputation but we were happy the game went off without any major incidents inside the stadium.

"We heard of no major incidents after the game either so, as an event, it was successful from the club's point of view."

West Midlands Police appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to contact 0845 113 5000.

FC Magdeburg - Union Berlin - 11/11/2007

Source: DPA

A group of Union Berlin fans was assaulted Friday night by rivals from Magdeburg.
Punches were exchanged and a Berlin follower was injured, before a police intervention.
A local was arrested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHXkK3iYGhE

Crewe Alexandra - MK Dons - FA Cup - 10/11/2007

Source: local press

Officers hurt in football trouble

More than 20 police officers were injured and police vehicles were damaged in violence following an FA Cup match.

Crewe Police said some of their officers received minor injuries in scuffles after the Crewe and MK Dons match on Saturday.

A police spokeswoman said sixty men from Milton Keynes aged between 16 and 25 were arrested and later released on bail.

Crewe Alexandra won the game 2-1.

The spokeswoman said the disorder started outside the ground after the match and continued up Gresty Road.

Officers are now studying CCTV footage of the trouble.

"The majority who attended the game from MK Dons were hell-bent on causing disruption," the spokeswoman added.

Stoke City - Sheffield United - FA Cup - 11/11/2007

Source: forum

It seems local youth ran Sheffield mob.

FC Barnet - Gillingham - FA Cup - 11/11/2007

Source: youtube.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzs3AjX_FQE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzhvE6xMSQM

Legia Warszawa - Jagiellonia Bialystok - 09/11/2007

Source: youtube.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UhwZA14cSA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRP3qdazgY8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPVw81J_2q8

Hapoel Jerusalem - Hapoel Jolon (Basket-ball) - 11/11/2007

Source: Super Hincha

A local steward was injured in Jerusalem due to the explosion of a firacracker during a game of basket-ball.
The man losts 3 fingers during the explosion.
The firecracker was threw by Jolon supporters.

Italian events Pictures - 11/11/2007

Source: Der Spiegel

Manslaughter probe into Italian police shooting of fan: report - 12/11/2007

Source: AFP

Italian prosecutors opened a manslaughter inquiry Monday against a policeman who shot dead a football fan in an incident that sparked riots by supporters across the country, the ANSA news agency said.

Government officials held an emergency meeting at the interior ministry in Rome to dicuss the violence that left at least 40 police injured.

Gabriele Sandri was hit in the neck by a shot fired by a policeman at an Italian motorway rest area where rival fans had been fighting. An autopsy on his body was carried out as controversy raged.

Sandri's family had on Sunday described the shooting death as murder, while the policeman said in an interview with the Corriere della Sera daily that it was an accident.

The 31-year-old policeman, who was not named, told Corriere that the shot went off accidentally as he was running, just seconds after firing a warning round in the air.

"I was not aiming anywhere, I was not pointing at anyone," the officer said, adding that he was at least 200 metres (yards) away from Sandri who was in a car at the rest area.

"The first shot I fired in the air and the second went off as I was running. What a fool. Now I know what happened, I am devastated."

"Now I have destroyed two families, that of this boy and mine," added the officer.

In a furious reaction to the shooting, militant fans across Italy turned on police targets forcing three of Sunday's matches to be called off.

At least 40 police required hospital treatment, including one officer who was seriously injured after being struck with an iron bar, according to ANSA.

"What a Nightmare!" exclaimed the leading sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Into what darkness has the passion of Italians sunk?" it asked, saying that a "sub-culture" had emerged of "blackmail, humiliation and planned violence."

Hundreds of fans, many masked and carrying batons, attacked a police barracks in Rome, burning a bus and other vehicles. A match between AS Roma and Cagliari was among those cancelled.

The crowd broke into the headquarters of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and looted the offices.

Police charged the crowd, firing tear gas at the fans to restore order. Four people were arrested.

In Bergamo, Atalanta fans clashed with police before their game against AC Milan, forcing the referee to halt play seven minutes after kick-off.

The Atalanta 'Ultras', as hardcore fans are known, charged a glass barricade separating fans from the pitch, breaking it in two places.

In Milan, some 400 fans threw stones at police headquarters, while outside the stadium Lazio and Inter supporters chanted anti-police slogans.

Before the Siena-Livorno game and at other stadiums, supporters shouted "murderers" at police and security officers.

According to witnesses, Sandri was travelling to Milan by car with other Lazio fans to attend the match against Inter Milan when clashes with Juventus fans started at a service station.

"We are still investigating the exact dynamic of the facts but it seems that this was the tragic error by a police officer who intervened to stop a fight degenerating," said Interior Minister Giuliano Amato late Sunday.

La Repubblica newspaper called the fan reaction an "Ultra War."

Corriere della Serra, recalling the killing in February of a policeman outside the Catania Stadium in Sicily, said Sandri's death "became the fuse that relit the fire."

La Stampa newspaper said "When all that unites is hatred -- between fans, leaders, extremists and police -- everything becomes possible, even one (gun) shot too many."

Crisis meeting after Italy riots - 12/11/2007

Source: Reuters

Italian authorities are meeting to discuss measures aimed at tackling widespread fan violence sparked by the accidental shooting of a Lazio supporter by a police officer.

Riots hit Rome, with fans attacking a police barracks as well as the Olympic Stadium and the headquarters of the Italian Olympic Committee next door.

A top flight game between Atalanta and Milan was also abandoned after seven minutes when fans tried to break down a glass barrier keeping them from the pitch.

Police and the government are also set to hold talks to clear up how the officer made such a "tragic error".

The unnamed officer under investigation for firing the fatal shot could not believe he had hit the victim.

"I didn't point it at anything, I didn't aim at anybody," he told Corriere della Sera.

"The first shot I fired into the air and the second left me while I was running. Now I have destroyed two families, the man's and mine."

Authorities are desperate to avoid a repeat of Sunday's violence, which mirrored riots outside a Catania match in Sicily in February where a policeman was killed.

That incident led to strict new security measures at football stadiums but authorities may have to look again at the rules amid calls to ban away fans from all grounds in future.

"It is another very sad and painful day for all of Italian football," Italian football federation president Giancarlo Abete said.

"The first thought is of huge condolences for the family of Gabriele Sandri."

Abete said that he had convened a meeting for later on Monday with his board as well as representatives of the league, and player and coach associations.

They will discuss what to do about the Inter Milan v Lazio and Roma v Cagliari matches, which were postponed on Sunday because of the shooting and whether to play the Atalanta game or award the points to Milan.

A report last month said injuries at stadiums caused by fan violence had dropped by 80 percent from last season but Abete has consistently said that football authorities could do little to stamp out trouble away from the stadiums.

The clash between Lazio and Juventus fans which led to the accidental shooting happened at a motorway service station in the Tuscan city of Arezzo, far from any stadium.

The matter is complicated because Juve fans in particular live across Italy, not just in their base of Turin, meaning fans travel huge distances to see their team and often come across rival fans on routes not usually associated with football traffic.

Abete has also been at pains to point out that the shooting was very different from February's death and that the response should be measured.

"The loss of a life is always unacceptable but objectively the dynamics of the dramatic episode is totally different from the killing last February of inspector Raciti at Catania," he said.

There is a break in the Italian league programme because Italy visit Scotland in a crunch Euro 2008 qualifier on Saturday, giving authorities some time to decide on the next step.

If Italy lose the world champions will be in danger of not reaching next year's finals in Austria and Switzerland, which could cause more tension among fans.

Authorities detain 4 as violent fans riot in Rome following death of soccer fan - 12/11/2007

Source : The Associated Press

Italian authorities detained four people Monday accused of taking part in violent riots in Rome sparked by the police killing of a soccer fan.

Gabriele Sandri, a 26-year-old disc jockey from Rome, died after getting hit in the neck by a bullet while sitting in a car when a policeman fired shots to disperse a clash Sunday.

Police said Sandri, a Lazio fan who was on his way to a match between his team and Inter Milan, was accidentally shot at a highway rest stop in Tuscany while officers intervened to stop a scuffle between supporters of his team and a small group of Juventus fans.

The policeman alleged to have fired the fatal shot, whose identity has not been released, was quoted as saying in the Corriere della Sera newspaper that he did not aim at anyone.

"I was 200 meters (yards) away," he said. "I fired the first shot in the air, and the second went off as I was running."

An earlier police statement said the officer had fired both shots in the air.

Speaking from an official visit to Qatar, President Giorgio Napolitano said he was "very worried" by Sandri's "tragic death" and the "grave violence" that followed.

Sandri's death forced the suspension of three soccer matches as clashes erupted in Rome, Milan and other cities. Enraged by the shooting, rioters smashed windows, hurled stones at police cars and set trash bins and police vans on fire.

In the Italian capital, violent fans rioted into the night, attacking police barracks near the Stadio Olimpico and raiding the nearby headquarters of the Italian Olympic Committee, which estimated the damage at about €100,000 (US$147,000).

By morning, four people were detained in Rome, police said. About 40 police officers suffered injuries, the ANSA news agency reported.

Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri suggested the possible suspension of all divisions next week at a series of meetings later Monday involving the Italian soccer federation and the Olympic committee.

Federation president Giancarlo Abete will meet at 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) with the leaders of the major soccer groups, plus the separate associations of coaches, players and referees.

Italy's most recent serious soccer-related violence led to the death of a policeman in February, and authorities strengthened security measures in and around soccer stadiums. And in 2004, riots broke out after a false rumor spread through a stadium during a match that police had killed a boy outside the stadium.

ANSA said an autopsy on Sandri's body was scheduled to be carried out later Monday in Arezzo, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Rome, where Sandri was shot.

News of the death spread as fans gathered at stadiums for Sunday's games. The Inter-Lazio, Atalanta-AC Milan and Roma-Cagliari matches were suspended, with the remaining matches being delayed by 10 minutes.

In Bergamo, where Atalanta hosted Milan, the match was suspended after seven minutes when Atalanta fans tried to break through a barrier and storm their way onto the field.

Italian prosectors probe fans on 'terrorist act' charges - 12/11/2007

Source : Enews

Hooligans who rioted in Rome following the accidental killing of a football fan by a policeman face charges of taking part in "acts of terrorism," prosecutors said Monday. RAI 1 television quoted prosecutors as saying hooligans, none of whom has yet been identified, chanted slogans with clear extreme-right political connotations.

Another possible charge could be "apology of fascism," a penal crime in Italy which was under the dictatorial regime of Benito Mussolini for two decades in the first half of the 20th century.

Meanwhile ANSA news agency quoted prosecutors in Arezzo as saying they were investigating the police officer on a charge of manslaughter as a result of culpable negligence.

Gabriele Sandri, 26, a Lazio fan heading for a Serie A game in Milan, died at a motorway rest station Sunday morning when the police officer fired warning shots to stop a clash among fans of Lazio and Juventus near the Tuscany town of Arezzo.

The policeman said in a newspaper interview his gun went off as he ran to stop rival supporters fighting.

The unnamed policeman, who has been in the force for 12 years, told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera he fired his pistol more than 200 metres away from Gabriele Sandri, who was sitting in a car on his way to see Lazio play Inter Milan.

"I was not aiming anywhere, I was not pointing at anyone," the policeman was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

"The first shot I fired in the air and the second went off as I was running ... Now I have destroyed two families, that of this boy and mine."

The fan's death triggered violent clashes around Rome's Stadio Olimpico where the evening game Roma-Cagliari was cancelled due to fear of clashes.

Groups of hooligans, apparently made up of Roma and Lazio fans, clashed with officers Sunday night attacking police offices and the headquarters of the Italian olympic committee (CONI).

CONI reported damage of about 100,000 euros (147,000 dollars) from the raid. Two large glass panes at the entrance and a window were broken and a computer stolen from the building.

Although it appears to be entirely accidental, Sandri's death is considered to be football-related by several commentators.

His killing is the third this year after that of a lower-division team official who was trying to calm down an after-game fight, and the violent death of a policeman in clashes outside the stadium of Catania.

Italian league suspended for a week - 12/11/2007

Souorce: Reuters

Italy's second and third division football programme will be suspended at the weekend, the country's federation said on Monday following fan violence sparked by the shooting of a Lazio supporter by a policeman.

Italy visit Scotland in a crunch Euro 2008 qualifier on Saturday, meaning there is no top-flight action but games in Serie B and Serie C have been postponed this Sunday as a mark of respect to the dead fan.

"The decision by the federation... is to suspend the professional championships of B and C scheduled for next Sunday," Italian soccer federation (FIGC) president Giancarlo Abete told reporters.

FIGC has now had to halt league action for the second time in a year because of hooliganism.

Italy are due to host Faroe Islands in Modena on November 21 with Serie A expected to resume a week on Sunday.

Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri earlier urged the football authorities to make a "strong gesture" and suspend the domestic championships for a few weeks but Abete was happy with the decision taken.

"We believe that we have given an important signal of willingness. We believe that in this situation football has been the victim and not the protagonist," he said.

Italy's anti-hooligan body has also banned large groups of potentially violent away supporters from all grounds.

It wants to decide on a game-by-game basis which visiting fans can go to stadiums and has urged authorities to quickly implement the idea of 'supporter passports'.

MANSLAUGHTER PROBE

Police said the fatal shooting of Lazio fan Gabriele Sandri on Sunday was accidental. The unnamed officer is under investigation for manslaughter and has been re-assigned to internal duties.

The officer encountered a disturbance between fans of Rome club Lazio and Turin's Juventus at a motorway service station near the Tuscan city of Arezzo, hours away from the two teams' respective matches.

"I didn't point it at anything, I didn't aim at anybody," he told Corriere della Sera. "The first shot I fired into the air and the second left me while I was running. Now I have destroyed two families, the man's and mine."

The shooting prompted riots in Rome on Sunday, with fans attacking a police barracks, the Olympic Stadium and causing extensive damage to the Italian Olympic Committee headquarters next door.

At least 40 police were hurt in Rome alone, officials said.

A top-flight game between Atalanta and AC Milan in Bergamo was also abandoned after seven minutes when fans tried to break down a glass barrier keeping them from the pitch.

Italy has a well-known hooligan problem and Sunday's violence mirrored riots outside a Catania match in Sicily in February, where a policeman was killed and the league was suspended for a short time.

That incident led to strict new security measures at soccer stadiums but football authorities have consistently said combating violence away from grounds is extremely difficult.

Officials have yet to decide what to do about the Inter Milan v Lazio and AS Roma v Cagliari matches, which were postponed on Sunday because of the shooting and whether to play the Atalanta game or award the points to Milan.

Sandri's father posted a message in his shop window on Monday saying: "Yesterday a dirty bastard killed my son, may he be damned forever."

Serie A - Second, third divisions suspended - 12/11/2007

Source: Reuters

Italy's second and third division soccer programme will be suspended at the weekend, the country's federation said on Monday after fan violence sparked by the shooting of a Lazio supporter by a policeman.

Italy visit Scotland in a crunch Euro 2008 qualifier on Saturday, meaning there is no top-flight action but games in Serie B and Serie C have been postponed this Sunday as a mark of respect to the dead fan.

"The decision by the federation... is to suspend the professional championships of B and C scheduled for next Sunday," Italian soccer federation (FIGC) president Giancarlo Abete told reporters.

FIGC has now had to halt league action for the second time in a year because of hooliganism.

Italy are due to host Faroe Islands in Modena on November 21 with Serie A expected to resume a week on Sunday.

Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri earlier urged the soccer authorities to make a "strong gesture" and suspend the domestic championships for a few weeks but Abete was happy with the decision taken.

"We believe that we have given an important signal of willingness. We believe that in this situation football has been the victim and not the protagonist," he said.

Italy's anti-hooligan body has also banned large groups of potentially violent away supporters from all grounds.

It wants to decide on a game-by-game basis which visiting fans can go to stadiums and has urged authorities to quickly implement the idea of 'supporter passports'.

Police said the fatal shooting of Lazio fan Gabriele Sandri on Sunday was accidental. The unnamed officer is under investigation for manslaughter and has been re-assigned to internal duties.

The officer encountered a disturbance between fans of Rome club Lazio and Turin's Juventus at a motorway service station near the Tuscan city of Arezzo, hours away from the two teams' respective matches.

"I didn't point it at anything, I didn't aim at anybody," he told Corriere della Sera. "The first shot I fired into the air and the second left me while I was running. Now I have destroyed two families, the man's and mine."

The shooting prompted riots in Rome on Sunday, with fans attacking a police barracks, the Olympic Stadium and causing extensive damage to the Italian Olympic Committee headquarters next door.

At least 40 police were hurt in Rome alone, officials said. A top-flight game between Atalanta and AC Milan in Bergamo was also abandoned after seven minutes when fans tried to break down a glass barrier keeping them from the pitch.

Italy has a well-known hooligan problem and Sunday's violence mirrored riots outside a Catania match in Sicily in February, where a policeman was killed and the league was suspended for a short time.

That incident led to strict new security measures at soccer stadiums but football authorities have consistently said combating violence away from grounds is extremely difficult.

Officials have yet to decide what to do about the Inter Milan v Lazio and AS Roma v Cagliari matches, which were postponed on Sunday because of the shooting and whether to play the Atalanta game or award the points to Milan.

Sandri's father posted a message in his shop window on Monday saying: "Yesterday a dirty bastard killed my son, may he be damned forever."

Italian policeman faces manslaughter inquiry into soccer fan killing - 12/11/2007

Source: AFP

Italian prosecutors opened a manslaughter inquiry Monday after a football fan was shot dead by a policeman, sparking nationwide riots, as the government urged football officials to consider suspending the championship.

At least 40 police required hospital treatment after the running battles in several cities which newspapers dubbed the return of the "nightmare" of football-related violence.

Vincenzo Giacobbe, police chief of Arezzo near where Lazio football fan Gabriele Sandri was killed, said the current theory was that he had been a victim of manslaughter but that tougher charges could be laid.

"There's a possibility that the categorisation of the crime ... could change for the worse," Giacobbe told a news conference.

Sandri, a Rome disc jockey, was shot in the neck while sitting in a car at a motorway rest area where there had been fighting between Lazio and Juventus supporters, according to police.

Giacobbe said numerous witnesses had told how the policeman "probably" aimed at the tyres of the car in which Sandri was sitting.

Sandri's family has called the killing murder. The policeman, who has not been identified, said in an interview with the Corriere della Sera daily that it was an accident.

The 31-year-old officer said he accidentally fired the fatal shot as he was running, just seconds after firing a warning round in the air.

"I was not aiming anywhere, I was not pointing at anyone," the officer said.

"The first shot I fired in the air and the second went off as I was running. What a fool. Now I know what happened, I am devastated. Now I have destroyed two families, that of this boy and mine," he added.

Interior Minister Giuliano Amato called the incident a "tragic error" and said the "exact dynamic of the facts" was still under investigation.

Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri urged football authorities meeting later Monday to take tough action, "even possibly suspending the championship over the next few weeks."

Speaking after an emergency meeting of government officials and football authorities, Melandri said: "Everyone feels the need for strong and meaningful decisions from the world of football."

The meeting at the interior ministry was attended by the heads of the Italian Football Federation, the League of Professional Clubs and the National Olympic Committee.

"Football values were doubly flouted, because a young fan is dead and because violence broke out," Melandri told reporters.

Italian authorities had ordered heightened security at football matches back in February, after a policeman was killed in clashes with supporters in Sicily.

The furious reaction to Sunday's shooting saw fans across Italy turn on police targets. Three championship matches had to be called off.

Hundreds of fans, many masked and carrying batons, attacked a Rome police barracks, burning a bus and other vehicles.

Another crowd looted the headquarters of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) before police staged a baton charge and fired tear gas to restore order. Four people were arrested.

One policeman was seriously injured after being struck with an iron bar, according to the ANSA news agency.

In Bergamo, Atalanta fans clashed with police before their game against AC Milan. The game lasted only seven minutes before the referee halted play.

Hardcore Atalanta fans charged and smashed a glass barricade intended to keep supporters off the pitch, ignoring players who pleaded for calm.

In Milan, some 400 fans threw stones at the police headquarters, while outside the San Siro stadium Lazio and Inter Milan supporters chanted anti-police slogans.

Before the Siena-Livorno game and at other stadiums, supporters shouted "murderers" at police and security officers.

Talleres de Perico - Juventus Antoniana - 11/11/2007

Source: http://www.ascensodelinterior.com.ar/

United offer scared fans Rome refuns - 13/11/2007

Source: Daily Star

MANCHESTER UNITED are ready to give worried supporters the chance to pull out of next month’s Champions League trip to Roma after one fan was killed during a weekend of football violence in Italy.

United face Roma in the Olympic Stadium on December 12 – eight months after the club’s fans were involved in ugly clashes with Italian police during the Champions League quarter-final first-leg against the Serie A outfit.

But with a Lazio fan shot dead by Italian police on Sunday, United officials have rubber-stamped plans for a ticket amnesty for fans reluctant to jet out to the Italian capital.

Those with tickets for the game will be able to gain a refund from the club if they opt out of the trip and return their ticket before December 1.

With United having already booked their place in the knock-out stages, boss Sir Alex Ferguson is likely to field a weakened team for the final Group F clash against Luciano Spalletti’s team.

But the club have already sold 1800 tickets for the game, despite the events of last season and the prospect of Ferguson resting star names just four days before United’s Premiership clash with Liverpool at Anfield.

United fans clashed with Roma supporters ahead of the return game at Old Trafford last April, but Roma’s recent visit to United on October 2 passed by without incident.

And Sean Bones, the spokesman of the Independent Manchester United Supporters Trust, has urged the club and authorities to work together to ensure a trouble-free return to Rome next month.

Bones said: "It’s very important that the club, the British police and the authorities in Italy work together to ensure that United supporters have the necessary security and protection in Rome.

"With the events of the weekend, a great deal of thought needs to go into the security arrangements for the game because it is paramount that United fans are protected.

Officer investigated following fan death - 13/11/2007

Source: AP

A police officer was placed under investigation Monday for possible manslaughter in the shooting death of a soccer fan that provoked riots across Italy.

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Authorities detained four people Monday for taking part in the violence in Rome, where angry fans attacked a police barracks near the stadium and the building housing the Italian Olympic Committee.

Gabriele Sandri, a 26-year-old disc jockey from Rome, died after getting hit in the neck by a bullet while sitting in a car. Police said an officer fired shots to disperse a scuffle at a highway rest stop in Tuscany.

Police have called the man's death a "tragic error" and the exact circumstances surrounding it remain unclear.

"We'll uncover the truth," said police chief Antonio Manganelli.

The policeman who fired the shot was put under investigation by magistrates in Arezzo, a Tuscan town about 125 miles north of Rome where Sandri died.

"For now he is under investigation for manslaughter," Arezzo police chief Vincenzo Giacobbe said, adding that the charges could become more severe.

Initial reports said police intervened to stop a scuffle between Sandri's group of Lazio fans and a group of Juventus fans. Giacobbe indicated Monday that the officer who shot Sandri may have not realized it was a fight between soccer fans.

"(The officer) intervened to calm down what appeared to be a fight," Giacobbe said. "He didn't know if they were fans. Another thing to clarify is why it was called a fight between fans. We think so, but (the officers on the scene) didn't know it. They saw with their own eyes that a fight was starting, and banging on a car."

According to a police statement Sunday, an officer fired two warning shots in the air. But the unidentified officer was quoted as saying by Corriere della Sera on Monday that the second shot went off accidentally.

Sandri's death forced the postponement of two Serie A matches and the suspension of another as clashes erupted in cities including Milan and Bergamo. Enraged by the shooting, rioters smashed windows and hurled stones at police cars.

In the Italian capital, violent fans rioted into the night, setting trash bins and police vans on fire.

About 40 police officers were injured, ANSA reported.

A monitoring body set up by the Interior Ministry as a watchdog for soccer violence announced Monday that large groups of violent fans would be blocked from traveling to certain games and, by March 1, all stadiums with a capacity of more than 7,500 will have to provide match stewards.

Last season, a policeman was killed in riots following a game between Palermo and Catania in Sicily. The killing prompted authorities to stiffen security measures in and around soccer stadiums, such as barring some fans from traveling to games seen as posing a security threat.

"If I were certain that stopping soccer would eliminate the violence problem, I would sign up right away," Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said. "I don't think it's the time to stop, but to act. And most of all, to avoid making judgments the day after."

FC Zwolle will pay - 13/11/2007

Source: http://www.dvhn.nl

The 2nd division dutch team FC Zwolle will pay a fee of 7500 € to KNVB due to the riots who occured during the game versus Go Ahead Eagles, played in Deventer.
Fans from Zwolle caused troubles.

Atalanta president determined to out Ultras - 13/11/2007

Source: ESPN

Atalanta president Ivan Ruggeri is determined to shut down 'la curva' at the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium in Bergamo to combat hooliganism.

La curva is the section where the Atalanta ultras - extreme fans - watch games and on Sunday violence erupted there, forcing the abandonment of the game against AC Milan.

The chaos was prompted by the killing of a Lazio fan, who was accidentally shot by a police officer earlier in the day.

An angry mob of fans also stormed the CONI (Italian Olympic Committee) headquarters in Rome later that evening.

'The scenes we saw in Bergamo should never be seen in the football world,' said Ruggeri.

'I want to state that on Sunday, there were 24,000 people at the stadium in Bergamo and 20,000 have turned against the curva and this is an important sign.

'Bergamo cannot tolerate this, Bergamo is one of the most industrial cities in Italy and cannot tolerate 200 or 300 vandals who cause havoc at a football game.'

Atalanta ultras had wanted Sunday's game to be postponed following the death of Lazio supporter Gabriele Sandri at a motorway rest stop in Arezzo.

Police were trying to prevent clashes between Lazio and Juventus fans from escalating.

'I want to state that the incident in Arezzo has nothing to do with football,' Ruggeri added to Sky Italia. 'These are incidents that can happen at any time, in any city and in any country.

'My dream is to close la curva and have families and kids instead. But in order to achieve that dream, I need the police to help me because alone I cannot achieve it.'

The National Observatory on Sporting Events recommended yesterday, among other proposals, to close la curva for the entire season.

'Our intention is to close our ultra section at the stadium,' Ruggeri reiterated. 'I believe we have to intervene, our football is sick and I have been saying this for a long time and we must take action.'

Ruggeri feels the policing at the stadium could have been improved on Sunday.

'I partly feel abandoned by the police officers. Although it's true that stewards are there, they are frightened,' he said. 'They were forced to abandon it, they were scared and someone else should have replaced them.

'It's true that little by little, the police are abandoning the stadia but in cases like this they should intervene.'

Alexei Eremenko gets jaw fracture in Moscow street attack - 13/11/2007

Source: http://www.hs.fi/

Football: Alexei Eremenko gets jaw fracture in Moscow street attack

Alexei Eremenko Jr., a forward on the Finnish national football team, suffered a jaw fracture on Sunday evening in a confrontation on a Moscow street.
He is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, and he will not play in the remaining Euro 2008 qualifiers, which end next week.
Eremenko and four friends were out celebrating the end of the Russian series, when he was attacked on the street.

"I am sure that Eremenko is not the guilty party, but rather the victim", emphasised Mikhail Pukchanski, spokesman of the Saturn Football Club in comments to Helsingin Sanomat.
Eremenko plays professionally for Saturn on a contract that extends through the next season.
The Russian series ended on Sunday, when Saturn played Zenit of St. Petersburg, which won the match 1-0, sealing its league championship.
If Saturn had played a tie, the championship would have gone to the Moscow team Spartak, which defeated the Moscow Dynamo 2-1 in its own final match.

According to one theory, Eremenko may have been attacked by disappointed Spartak fans. Pukchanski did not take a stand on the matter, saying that the police were still investigating.
Finland has two more matches in the Euro qualifiers. First it meets Azerbaijan at Helsinki's Olympic Stadium on Saturday, and on Wednesday it travels to Portugal for a match in that country.
Eremenko was not going to play against Azerbaijan anyway, because of a one-match ban, and the injury is keeping him out of the last match of the series.

The Finnish head coach Roy Hodgson said that he is upset about Eremenko's injury. However he does not plan to add anymore players to the team, which now has 22 players.
Finland is currently fourth in Group A. Poland is in first place, leading Finland by four points.
Finland would have to win both of the remaining matches to keep the possibility of playing in the finals alive.
The 24-year-old Eremenko has played on the Finnish team 32 times and has secured 12 goals in the matches.