James Richardson's views

In his weekly column on the Bravo Football Italia website, the face of Italian football in the UK - James Richardson, posted his views on last week's tragic incidents in Catania...

" I don’t know about you, but Friday was one of the bleakest moments I’ve ever had as a fan of Italian football. We’ve seen deaths before at football games but the level of hatred and organised violence behind the Catania fan’s attacks left me bewildered.

This weekend, at the height of their mourning, Filippo Raciti’s widow and daughter made graceful and impassioned appeals in memory of the murdered officer. Their hope is that his death can at least mark a line in the sand in Italy’s treatment of football violence. So far the Government and Federation are doing their best to live up to those hopes, but it won’t be easy.

The truth is that similar events to Friday’s have been taking place in Italy for many years. After all, Catania – Palermo even started with a minute’s silence of a man kicked to death in a row after an amateur league game five days beforehand. For years players and even referees have run the risk of assault from fans dissatisfied with their performances. Attacks have mainly taken place in the lower Divisions, but Serie A hasn’t been immune either. Remember the many angry invasions of Lazio’s training ground by their Ultra’s? Or Juventus’ Andrea Fortunato, slapped around by fans at training for ‘not trying’, shortly before his diagnosis with Leukaemia?

The authorities and clubs have allowed the Ultras to become, literally, a law unto themselves – and nowhere more so than at the stadium. Here the total inaccessibility of many Curva’s means the police will not set foot inside, no matter what is taking place there. “It isn’t part of the Italian Republic” commented one police officer on Catania’s Curva Nord, the scene of Friday’s fatal barrage, “It’s their territory.” And with only one way in or out of it, police have already been ambushed there earlier this season. “Going in there” the officer concludes, “is like an act of War.”

So what now? The Federation and the Government have made the right start, firstly by suspending matches and secondly by insisting that stadiums that don’t meet crowd-control standards must not be open to supporters. The reaction of some of the club’s owners has been disappointing. Some have complained of the Federation’s ‘fascist’ decisions and have threatened a strike. No one likes the idea of empty grounds, but it shouldn’t take long to get their grounds up to date – and after all, this law has been in force for two years now.

If football wants to free itself of these violent fans there must be an end to the concessions and exceptions – that’s what has fuelled the Ultra’s ever increasing power. From now on the rules must stand for all. Sure, it’ll be a shame that the majority of fans will find it harder to attend the games, and it’ll be a shame too that the old era of flare-filled curves will now be at an end. Many law-abiding Ultra’s will also feel themselves demonised by the restrictions, and again, that’s a pity. But compared to the ongoing tragedy of violence that came to a head last Friday, it’s all a price worth paying. "

Source: Bravo Football Italia

Lega Calcio: Clubs agree to play

The Serie A and B Championships will kick off again at the weekend after clubs ruled out a proposed strike.

Officials from the top two tiers of Italian football entered into lengthy talks this afternoon where they decided to play – despite a host of games being closed to fans.

The Italian Government’s strict new stadium regulations, introduced after the death of a policeman during the Catania riots last week, had caused discomfort among some Presidents given that dozens of stadia up and down the country would not be permitted to open their doors to supporters.

Numerous sides, such as Napoli and Livorno, had suggested possible strike action in an attempt to protect the rights of at least their season ticket holders.

However, it seems that a compromise was reached this evening between clubs and Italian Football Federation commissioner Luca Pancalli.

"We demonstrated great maturity by deciding to play," stated Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani, whose Rossoneri outfit will have to appear in front of no tifosi against Livorno on Sunday.

"If a law is passed then we must respect it. Our stadium wasn’t outside of the law, it is just that the legislation was passed before our renovation work could be completed."

Galliani has also confirmed that Newcastle and Geneva have stepped forward as possible venues for their Champions League tie against Celtic, should the San Siro also be shut in Europe.

Although action will resume this weekend, Torino President Urbano Cairo has admitted that playing games behind closed doors is not ideal. "It’s not really suitable to take such steps when it comes to football," he noted.

Lega Calcio chief Antonio Matarrese was relieved that the threat of strike action failed to materialise. "It was a hell of a day," he commented. "But we decided to play to show how serious we are about these matters and I’m proud of what we have achieved.

"All of the Presidents eventually agreed with the stance we have taken which underlines great responsibility.

"We’ll now form a commission made up of four Serie A and four Serie B Presidents who will want to meet with the stadium verifiers as soon as possible.

"We have to play on, with sadness in our heart, in the hope that this terrible tragedy will be of some use to the country."

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Giuliano Amato has assured fans that the closed door policy could be a relatively short solution – if clubs get their issues resolved. "I’m now expecting the stadiums to meet the required standards relatively quickly," noted the politician on Thursday.

"Putting in a few turnstiles is not a NASA mission to the moon and it isn’t that expensive either.

"There may be a few problems between clubs and local councils who run the risk of paralysing each other.

"But if a couple of games are played with no fans then I’m sure that a positive agreement can soon be found between the two."

Serie B will resume on Saturday, while A clubs will play on Sunday. There will be no more evening kick-offs for the rest of February.

Source: C4 Football Italia

Six stadiums given green light

The Italian government has allowed six stadiums to reopen to supporters this weekend.

A special government committee was appointed to check stadiums, as under the new anti-hooligan measures introduced after the riots in Catania last week spectators will not be allowed into venues that do not comply with the current security regulations.

The six grounds in Italy that fully comply with the requirements of the Pisanu bill and will be able to immediately host fans on the stands are Rome’s Olimpico, Genoa’s Luigi Ferraris, Siena’s Artemio Franchi, Cagliari’s Sant’Elia, Palermo’s Renzo Barbera and Turin’s Olimpico.

The list of stadia which fail to make the grade - among them some of the most celebrated in the land - is decidedly long. Stadiums in Ascoli, Bari, Bergamo, Bologna, Brescia, Catania, Cesena, Empoli, Florence, Lecce, Livorno, Mantova, Messina, Milan, Modena, Naples, Parma, Perugia, Pescara, Piacenza, Reggio Calabria, Salerno, Trieste, Udine and Verona will remain shut to fans until the works needed to renovate them are completed.

Therefore Serie A Week 23 fixtures Atalanta-Lazio, Chievo-Inter, Fiorentina-Udinese, Messina-Catania and Milan-Livorno will be played behind closed doors.

The Pisanu bill on safety standards does not, however, apply to stadia with capacities of less than 10,000. Good news for seven cities across the country, each of them home to sides in Serie B - Rimini, Frosinone, Treviso, Vicenza, La Spezia, Crotone and Arezzo.

In these seven venues games will go ahead as normal, unless they fail to introduce the special public order measures adopted by the authorities.

Source: C4 Football Italia

Players' Association applaud new laws

The Italian Footballers’ Association (AIC) has praised the new anti-hooliganism measures voted for by the Government, but hopes that season ticket holders will somehow be protected.

The new regulations will not allow stadiums to reopen to fans until they comply with the standard safety requirements, thus meaning that most matches will be played behind closed doors this week.

"We are in full agreement with the decree voted for by the Government," read an official statement released by the AIC.

"We also hope that new rules will be voted in order for all clubs to receive the same treatment, so that no one can consider this season irregular," continued the statement.

"We believe that season ticket holders must be protected. In any case, the players are not considering the idea of going on strike."

The AIC had initially asked for a one-year suspension after the tragic incidents that killed a 38-year-old policeman following Palermo’s 2-1 victory at the Stadio Angelo Massimino in Catania last week.

Matches will resume this weekend from the Week 23 fixtures, but only four venues are currently fit to host spectators on the stands, while most stadiums will remain closed until the necessary work is complete.

Many Presidents have stated that they cannot agree with playing behind closed doors, as well as several players who do not favour the idea of banning fans from the venues.

"Football without supporters just isn’t football," said Udinese midfielder Giampiero Pinzi. "I cannot imagine playing in front of empty stands."

Source: C4 Football Italia

Police question 17-year old

Italian police are questioning a 17-year-old boy over the death of a policeman in riots in Sicily last week which led to the suspension of matches all over the country.

The police officer died after being hit and having a homemade explosive thrown into his car as rival fans went on a rampage at a Serie A derby in Catania last Friday. Police in Sicily would only identify the suspect as a teenager from Catania.

About 41 people were arrested after the incident, many of them charged with resisting police offers and causing injuries. Police have been studying video surveillance tapes at the Stado Angelo Massimino in Catania to ascertain who killed their colleague.

All Italian football, even youth matches, was suspended after the policeman's death pending a security review and only the safest stadiums will be open to fans when matches resume this weekend.

Italy's government is due to release a list later today of which stadiums would be allowed to open and which would have to play behind closed doors until they improve security.

Only four stadiums in Serie A - Rome's Stadio Olimpico, Palermo's Renzo Barbera, Turin's Olimpico and the Artemio Franchi in Siena - are believed to meet the regulations, which include closed-circuit TV surveillance, numbered seating and electronic turnstiles.

The rest, including Milan's San Siro may require varying degrees of work.

Other new security measures include a ban on the block sale of tickets to away fans, a beefing-up of stadium bans for those involved in violence, including under-18s, tougher jail terms and a ban on financial links between clubs and fan associations.

Firecrackers will no longer be allowed inside stadiums and, at least initially, there will be no evening matches.

Some clubs are calling it an overreaction to an isolated incident, though officer Filippo Raciti's death was the second in a week in Italian football, after an amateur league official was kicked to death while trying to stop a fight at a Serie D match.

Source: Reuters

Milan duo plan Champions move

Milan and Inter could play their home UEFA Champions League fixtures away from the San Siro if the stadium does not comply with the new safety regulations.

The Italian Government approved a severe decree aimed at fighting football-related violence after a police officer was killed in Catania last Friday.

The anti-hooliganism laws include the fact that games will have to be played behind closed doors in the stadiums that do not meet the required security standards.

Only four stadiums in Serie A are in line with the regulations – Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, Palermo’s Stadio Renzo Barbera, Turin’s Stadio Olimpico and the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Siena. The rest, including Milan’s Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, require varying degrees of work to comply with the new safety requirements.

A special government committee will carry out a check at every Serie A stadium today before deciding which are fit to reopen to spectators this weekend.

If the committee confirms that the San Siro cannot host spectators, Inter and Milan might move their home Champions League ties to other stadiums.

Inter are considering the idea of playing the February 21 match with Valencia in Genoa or Palermo, whereas the Rossoneri might host Celtic on March 7 across the border in France or Swizterland.

UEFA will have to authorise the change of venue in both cases, but reports suggest that the governing body of European football does not see any problem in granting the San Siro outfits’ request.

Roma's first leg tie against Valencia will be able to take place as planned in the Stadio Olimpico on February 21.

Meanwhile, Livorno's UEFA Cup Round of 32 first leg match with Espanyol on Fenruary 14 and Parma's second leg match with Braga on February 22 may also be affected.

Source: C4 Football Italia

Zamparini slams empty stadiums

Palermo chief Maurizio Zamparini believes that playing Serie A matches in empty stadiums would make this an irregular season.

The Government approved the 13-article decree with the new rules to combat violence, and the strict measures include the fact that stadiums that are not up to code will not be allowed to open to their fans.

To date only four Serie A stadiums fit the Legge Pisanu standard – the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Stadio Artemio Franchi in Siena, STadio Olimpico in Rome and Stadio Renzo Barbera in Palermo, thus meaning that fans should be allowed into only three fixtures this weekend when the season resumes.

"With matches played behind closed doors, this will be an irregular League," said Zamparini to local television network Telelombardia.

"I think this might generate the opposite result. If they use good sense they will at least allow season ticket holders to access the stadiums, I hope an agreement is found between the authorities and the Lega Calcio."

The Stadio Barbera is one of the few which comply with the Legge Pisanu regulations, as the needed renovation was planned ahead of time.

"In Palermo we cooperated with the town council and the works were completed early and with no rush. Where they did things the ‘Italian way’, you can see the results."

Zamparini then commented on Lega Calcio chief Antonio Matarrese, who he believes should have resigned from his post after the astonishing statements released following the Catania facts.

"He should have left. He has no power inside the institutions, sometimes I really miss my old Lega opponent Adriano Galliani," concluded the Rosanero.

Source: C4 Football Italia