Italian crackdown

TTinCO · Feb 8, 2007

Soccer Decree In Italy: No Fans Allowed<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com

ffice

ffice" /><o

></o

>
Government Will Keep Fans Out Of Games Until Security Precautions Are In Place<o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
ROME, Feb. 7, 2007<o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
(AP) The Italian Cabinet approved measures Wednesday that could force many of the teams in Italy's top soccer leagues to play in empty stadiums. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
Italian soccer federation spokeswoman Barbara Moschini said later that the Serie A would resume this weekend, a week after a policeman was killed in rioting during and after a match in Sicily on Friday. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
Whether fans will be allowed in to watch their teams depends on the outcome of inspections on Thursday. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
The decree approved by the Cabinet also bans clubs from selling blocks of tickets to visiting fans and allows authorities to bar suspected hooligans from entering stadiums, even if they haven't been convicted of crimes. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
"The measures are severe and without precedent," Deputy Interior Minister Marco Minniti said. "Our objective isn't to play the games behind closed doors. Our objective is to play the games in safe stadiums with open doors." <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
The Italian news agency ANSA said that only six soccer stadiums in Italy meet the required security standards, including Rome's Stadio Olimpico. The San Siro stadium — home to AC Milan and Inter Milan — is among the stadiums completing work to meet the requirements, ANSA reported. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
The Italian soccer league said its officials will meet Thursday in Rome with the presidents of all 42 teams in Serie A and Serie B — Italy's top two leagues. The stadiums subject to the spectator ban will be announced then. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
Other measures ban clubs from having economic ties with fan groups and stiffen prison terms for committing violence against police from five to 15 years. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
The measures must be approved by parliament within 60 days to remain in effect. The Cabinet also approved a proposal for more long-term changes, putting club stewards in charge of guaranteeing security inside stadiums and involving the clubs in the ownership of the sports arenas, now owned by local authorities. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
Premier Romano Prodi's Cabinet was reacting to the fatal attack on 38-year-old policeman Filippo Raciti last week. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
At least 38 people have been arrested, including 15 minors, and at least two more taken in for questioning in Friday's violence at Catania's stadium, where the local team was playing cross-island rival Palermo. The violence led to the postponement of Italian league games Saturday and Sunday. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
Investigators in Catania were examining a film of the fatal attack in hopes of identifying suspects, police said. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
Authorities did not say what the stadium's closed-circuit cameras contained. Italian news reports said the film showed the fighting outside that began after the Catania-Palermo match had started Friday night, including youths with partially covered faces approaching Raciti and one of them hitting him in the abdomen. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
The Apcom news agency reported that the film showed Raciti being hit with a sink that had probably been ripped out of one of the stadium's bathrooms. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
Raciti continued to work, but about 45 minutes later he climbed out of his car when someone tossed a fire cracker inside, and collapsed to the ground as a small, crude bomb went off next to him, newspapers reported. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
Police initially believed Raciti was killed by the bomb, but officials later said he died from severe injuries to his liver, probably after being hit by a blunt object. <o

></o

>
<o

></o

>
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/07/world/main2444322.shtml

2white · Feb 8, 2007

Things are not exactly like reported up here.
Hold on till this Sunday and let's see what happens. To start off with, there are 4 places in which games are gonna be played with people in it.
Torino is one of them. probvably milan and Inter games especially the Champions ones, will be played in Torino instead. We will see. I'll keep you posted, firsthand news.
Greetings from Italy
2WHITE

joeyfitzclick · Feb 8, 2007

Italian soccer couldn't be in a worse state than it is right now, despite winning the WC.

themadactuarian · Feb 8, 2007

2white said:
Things are not exactly like reported up here.
Hold on till this Sunday and let's see what happens. To start off with, there are 4 places in which games are gonna be played with people in it.
Torino is one of them. probvably milan and Inter games especially the Champions ones, will be played in Torino instead. We will see. I'll keep you posted, firsthand news.
Greetings from Italy
2WHITE

From "Il corriere" and/or "La Gazzetta" I can't find a reliable list of which stadiums will hold matches behind close doors....WTF.

I see no f#$%^&* lines at Pinny (WTF#2), and some sporatic lines at a few books....does anyone have a clue if Pinny will post. It's thursday, and
nothing has been settled....I'm getting edgy!

MA

rhinooooo · Feb 8, 2007

the mad actuarian said:
From "Il corriere" and/or "La Gazzetta" I can't find a reliable list of which stadiums will hold matches behind close doors....WTF.

I see no f#$%^&* lines at Pinny (WTF#2), and some sporatic lines at a few books....does anyone have a clue if Pinny will post. It's thursday, and
nothing has been settled....I'm getting edgy!

MA

The lines have come up in the last few hours at most UK books. I think they'll probably be available at Pinny later tonight. Check out betbrain.com and you can check out the lines for most of those books.

The following six teams will keep their Stadiums open: (Got it off the Reuters/Guardian report)

Rome's Olympic Stadium made the list, but the San Siro in Milan did not. Stadiums in Genoa, Siena, Cagliari, Turin and Palermo were all deemed safe on the list, drawn up after a meeting of security and sports officials today.

themadactuarian · Feb 8, 2007

rhinooooo said:
The lines have come up in the last few hours at most UK books. I think they'll probably be available at Pinny later tonight. Check out betbrain.com and you can check out the lines for most of those books.

The following six teams will keep their Stadiums open: (Got it off the Reuters/Guardian report)

Rome's Olympic Stadium made the list, but the San Siro in Milan did not. Stadiums in Genoa, Siena, Cagliari, Turin and Palermo were all deemed safe on the list, drawn up after a meeting of security and sports officials today.

typical Italian media....if you want some reliable info, you need to go dig it
out from a non-Italian source.
Between tomorrow and Sunday, their will be some 20+ games to be played in A&B, and still not a finalized descision for all the stadium. WTF, what more can they possibly inspect...It would be faster and cheaper to build a
deep ditch around the stadium, fill it with water and crocs 'a la' brazilian style, and get the show on the road....bastards.

thanks for the info, R