View Full Version : Tragedy in Sicilian Derby(Catania-Palermo) - Serie A and B suspended **SPOILERS**
SERIE A AND B SUSPENDED
The Serie A and B Championships have been suspended after the death of a policeman in the Catania riots.
FIGC President Luca Pancalli made the announcement this evening. “We will immediately set up a permanent round table commission to discuss the situation between sport and politics. It’s not possible to carry on like this. If this is football, then I’m stopping everything.”
The Sicilian derby, eventually won 2-1 by Palermo this evening, had been interrupted after 57 minutes due to crowd trouble when tear gas floated on to the pitch.
While play resumed and the final whistle sanctioned the Rosanero’s victory, the problems intensified outside the Stadio Massimino.
A large group of Catania supporters engaged in a full-scale riot with the police and one officer, 38-year-old Filippo Raciti, was killed when struck in the face by a homemade bomb.
It’s now reported that hundreds of people have been rushed to the local hospital with injuries, although none are thought to be life threatening.
This tragic incident comes just a week after Ermanno Licursi, director of Calabrian amateur side Sanmartinese, was killed in a fight with opposition players after the final whistle of a Serie D game against Cancellese.
The Amateur League was suspended and this latest shameful scenario has pushed the FIGC to take similar action with Serie A, B, C and the Youth Championships.
Guidolin: It was a war zone
Palermo Coach Francesco Guidolin blamed Catania fans for the ‘war zone’ atmosphere and warned football “can’t carry on like this.”
The Rosanero won the Sicilian derby 2-1 at the Stadio Massimino this evening, but it was interrupted by crowd trouble and tear gas.
“We won the match on the pitch – or rather both matches, seeing as there was a 30-minute gap – but we cannot enjoy this victory. Football cannot last for much longer like this. There will be no joy in it, there’s no point.”
The trouble started when the Palermo fans entered the Stadium in the second half. They were set to be let in after 10 minutes, but for reasons that remain unclear the supporters didn’t arrive until almost the hour mark.
Following Andrea Caracciolo’s goal, flares were thrown from the Catania section towards the Palermo fans and when they fought back the police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
“I don’t know who started it, but I did see what happened since we arrived in Catania,” explained a clearly shaken Guidolin.
“We were escorted to and from the hotel for two days by 50 police officers, as if we were in a war zone. I was in the team bus that was pelted with eggs, vegetables and rocks. It’s not possible for this uncivilised treatment in the 21st Century.”
The last time these two teams met resulted in a 5-3 Palermo victory and was also marred by crowd trouble.
“We all have to try to calm down the situation around football now. The Press and Coaches must steer away from the banality of their post-match comments that only serve to stir up violence and ill-feeling.”
Taking the first step, Guidolin admitted that both Palermo’s goals should probably have been disallowed.
“I hold up my hands – we were aided by two incidents that went our way, just as last week we were damaged by moments going against us. I have never criticised the referee and never will.”
Channel 4 (http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/feb2p.html)
Gazzetta Dello Sport (http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Squadre/Catania/Primo_Piano/2007/02_Febbraio/02/catania-palermo.shtml)
Stupid fuckers.Something must be done now:mad: Unfortunately it's already too late:(
Kyle_R
02-02-2007, 09:55 PM
Just read this before and almost posted it here.
The Sicilian derby, eventually won 2-1 by Palermo this evening, had been interrupted after 57 minutes due to crowd trouble when tear gas floated on to the pitch.
WTF tear gas! I thought they were bad with all their flares.
This is disgusting. That there's still crowd violence today, let alone to the extremes of death, is baffling. Another black eye for calcio and embarassment for all Sicilians.
thelovepizza
02-02-2007, 10:30 PM
This is awful, not just the tragedy of a death but also that of losing football for any amount of time. Does any one know when this will be repealed? Could it possibly go on for weeks?
I suppose this could be the end of Flares (about time to) and much stricter rules being enforced. (Perhaps they should take a look at how England dealt with its problems with thugs and hooligans)
This is awful, not just the tragedy of a death but also that of losing football for any amount of time. Does any one know when this will be repealed? Could it possibly go on for weeks?
I suppose this could be the end of Flares (about time to) and much stricter rules being enforced. (Perhaps they should take a look at how England dealt with its problems with thugs and hooligans)
I believe Serie A and B will be suspended only for this weekend.Something must be done immediately, though.
There is always tension when Catania face Palermo but this time it got way out of hand.:mad:
Nerazzurri4life
02-02-2007, 10:43 PM
this was fucked up....
i was watching the game and saw when the game had to be stopped...
hooligans...
narduch
02-02-2007, 10:44 PM
They really need to blow up the entire structure of soccer in Italy.
It's getting harder and harder to even want to follow the game there.
chauchey
02-02-2007, 10:45 PM
terrible tradgedy. just sickening. :(
pydgey
02-02-2007, 10:51 PM
farkin retards :mad:
sad day for football :(
Zlatan
02-02-2007, 10:53 PM
Palermo won the game 2-1 with two controversial goals and Catania president Antonio Pulvirenti wants the game replayed and has blamed Palermo fans for the trouble.
"Clearly the incidents were provoked by the Palermo fans when they entered the stadium," said Pulvirenti.
"Before then, nothing had happened, but they started causing trouble and as the images show threw tear gas onto the pitch.
"They were well-organised and came here in order to cause trouble. We feel penalised and will appeal against the result so that the match will be considered void.
"We've been punished for less in the past and demand the same treatment.
"I was on the field and, if you look carefully, the section where the tear gas came from only had Palermo fans in there.
"The officials saw what happened and will take action."
WHO CARES ABOUT THE MATCH AND IF YOU FEEL PENALISED YOU DIMWIT, A MAN JUST DIED FFS.
Fucking directors and presidents, the scum are always at the top.
A tragedy, a gross tragedy.
RIP Filippo Raciti.
Oh dear!Catania's president is a fucking idiot.Just what we need right now.The two teams blaming each other's fans and Catania asking for a replay?:eek:
Guidolin put things in perspective and was a true getleman, but this idiot here is outright dangerous.You retard:mad:
And here's a video, someone posted a link to on another forum, showing the riots outside the stadium.It's on corriere.it and the footage is from Sky Italia.
corriere.it (http://mediacenter.corriere.it/MediaCenter/action/player?uuid=63582b88-b300-11db-98dd-0003ba99c53b)
It really was like a war zone...
Thats just some crazy news. Very unfortunate what happened because things shold never get that out of hand. Will be interesting to see how this is handled in the coming days.
Players urge year-long suspension
Friday 2 February, 2007
The Players’ Association has urged the suspension of Italian football Leagues for a whole year after the latest tragic incidents.
“Football should stop for a year to reflect on all the evil that comes from it. The culture that surrounds our sport is wrong and has to be revolutionised. We need patience for that to happen and maybe passing on to another generation,” said AIC President Sergio Campana.
The FIGC called a halt to all Serie A, B, C and Youth Championship games this weekend after the riots that marred the Sicilian derby.
A 38-year-old policeman was killed in the battles with Catania supporters following Palermo’s 2-1 victory at the Stadio Massimino.
At the moment it is unclear when the fixture list will resume, but the Players Association is urging for a definitive stance.
“I think that faced with these events, football should stop for a year and see if we can change our whole approach to sport,” continued Campana.
“We have for some time been pointing out that there are weekly attacks on players because they lose a game. This means the very culture of sport in this country is wrong. Right when football is trying to rediscover its credibility after Calciopoli, this sort of thing leaves us dumbfounded.”
The last time Serie A ground to a halt over fan violence was on February 5, 1995, when Genoa supporter Vincenzo Spagnolo was stabbed to death ahead of a match against Milan.
“The death of a policeman in Catania and the many injuries as a result of this riot is a disturbing turn of events that calls for drastic measures,” said Minister for Sport Giovanna Melandri.
“The Government will no longer tolerate the need for thousands of police officers in every match to ensure the safety of its citizens. Along with the Home Office Minister Giuliano Amato, we consider the suspension of the next round of games to be an opportune decision by the FIGC.
“The Government and the world of sport must come together now to make sure the Leagues begin again in a totally different way.”
The Sicilian derby was the final straw in a situation that has been growing in the peninsula.
In March 2004 the Rome derby was abandoned at half-time after reports – which later proved to be false – suggested a child had been run over and killed by a police van outside the Stadio Olimpico. This claim prompted extreme tension and riots.
The most tragic incident was only last week, when Sammartinese director Ermanno Licursi died from a brain haemorrhage when a fight broke out between opposition players in the Calabrian amateur League. It emerged he had been kicked in the head.
Source (http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/feb2q.html)
This is tragic. :mad:
But I am one of those who thinks that you can't punish the masses for the stupidity of the few. Stop the weekend games, work all week for measures, and suspend one or both of the teams from the tournament.
Argentina could very easily be next. :(
.
This is tragic. :mad:
But I am one of those who thinks that you can't punish the masses for the stupidity of the few. Stop the weekend games, work all week for measures, and suspend one or both of the teams from the tournament.
Argentina could very easily be next. :(
.
Sadly, it happens all too often for "punishing the few" to work. It's plagued calcio for many years, and this year there's been more than one death as a result. There's far too much violence, especially in the South, and a major change is needed ASAP. How can fans be allowed to carry bombs and flares inside public venues after all the violence that calcio has been exposed to over the past few years? Until the federation comes down hard on these incidents, the "few" will continue to cause trouble, without fear.
This is tragic. :mad:
But I am one of those who thinks that you can't punish the masses for the stupidity of the few. Stop the weekend games, work all week for measures, and suspend one or both of the teams from the tournament.
Argentina could very easily be next. :(
.
Mediterranians are always emotional and don't react calmly when something very important or tragic happens.
Trust me, football in Italy is not going to stop for a year.Noone is going to accept this, even the players themselves.Just think about the consequences.
But it's about time that something is done.Hopefully this tragic event will be the last one.But unfortunately experience teaches us that almost nothing is going to change yet again.I hope i'm wrong, but i'm being realistic.:(
DriveShot
03-02-2007, 12:06 AM
The weekend's Serie A matches have been cancelled after a policeman was killed outside Catania's stadium following their 2-1 loss to Palermo, Italian Football Federation President Luca Pancalli announced on Friday.
Riots erupted after Friday's controversial Sicilian derby resulting in hundreds of injuries and the death of a 38-year-old policeman after an explosive device was reportedly thrown at the officer.
"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."
"The football tournaments will remain suspended until we solve the violence in our football," he continued.
"It's unacceptable that such incidents happen in a country like Italy."
"At this moment I'm not thinking about it but should we lose our Euro 2012 bid because of this situation, we would deserve to lose it," Pancalli added.
Earlier in the week Pancalli said he was willing to do what it takes to stop the hooliganism after last weekend's Italian matches were marred by violence.
"We are on high alert. To defend referees and the image of football, I am ready to take drastic measures," he said at the time.
Source: Eurosport (http://www.eurosport.com/football/serie-a/2006-2007/sport_sto1074620.shtml)
What is going on with Italian football!?!?
opm1s6
03-02-2007, 12:07 AM
i don't think this was inside the stadium.
how about the entire league not have any gate revenues for the rest of the season?
cavenaghi
03-02-2007, 12:37 AM
How can fans be allowed to carry bombs and flares inside public venues after all the violence that calcio has been exposed to over the past few years? Until the federation comes down hard on these incidents, the "few" will continue to cause trouble, without fear.
If you really want it, you can bring anything in a stadium. In Italy like in most europeans countries. So the solution doesn't come with a bigger security.
The solution is for me to put more responsability on the clubs and on the ultras. When incidents happen, the clubs would be sanctioned financialy and they could make the ultra groups involved, pay the fines. Either the groups could or they would be banned from the stadium.
This way the groups would try to stay calm and would exclude the trouble-makers. And it's always easier to control isolated people than groups.
Still, the easiest way to go is the british one: raise the prices till they dissuade people from creating troubles. It even gets to the point that they just don't make any noise :D :rolleyes: :(
Anyway, sad night.
a spoiler warning could have been useful..
Degasiado
03-02-2007, 12:58 AM
What's bad is that nobody will benefit from all of this, not the fans and not the clubs. And Italian Football in general will get an even worse reputation then it already got after the embarrassing match fixing debacle.
What is even worse is that it cost someone's life. That sucks :(
cityblues
03-02-2007, 12:59 AM
Italian football continues to be a joke...
If you really want it, you can bring anything in a stadium. In Italy like in most europeans countries. So the solution doesn't come with a bigger security.
I've always been told that Italian security has been more lax than those of other major nations like Spain's and England's. Stricter security is important...
24hrs
03-02-2007, 01:02 AM
ugh, that's disgusting!! :mad: :mad:
Fucking idiots..
That's sick. Policeman only trying to keep the fans in order and then gets a explosive thrown at him. It's unfair on the players as they only want to play and give the spectators something worthwhile.
Marcello™
03-02-2007, 01:38 AM
y do us sicilians go against our own kind if it was souths v West you dont even have to say why but sicilians v sicilians thats fucked
whats even more fucked i got to wait twice as long for the inter - Roma GAME AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
RIP Mr Police man
varun
03-02-2007, 01:45 AM
a spoiler warning could have been useful..
someone died and you care about spoilers :eek: pathetic :(
macro
03-02-2007, 01:59 AM
some pics
http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,793033,00.jpg
http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,793036,00.jpg
http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,793045,00.jpg
http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,793039,00.jpg
cavenaghi
03-02-2007, 02:00 AM
I've always been told that Italian security has been more lax than those of other major nations like Spain's and England's. Stricter security is important...
That's why I said in MOST europeans countries.
Of course, stricter security is important. But even if security is stricter in France than in Italy, the problems are the same (not the same level fortunately). A fireman lost 2 fingers with a little bomb made by a fan of Marseille. You know now about the PSG fan killed by a policeman two months ago... No need to talk about the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, countries from eastern europe...
You can bring as many policemen as you want, the fans will always find a way to introduce banned objects. That's why, the most important thing imho is to change the fans' mentality. Money is the key as always. Either you use it to keep them out of the stadium (english model) or you use it to make the ultras change their ways.
You can bring as many policemen as you want, the fans will always find a way to introduce banned objects. That's why, the most important thing imho is to change the fans' mentality.
I completely agree with that, and plenty of the violence has been over simple fist fights. However, a stronger security effort is still needed by a nation that doesn't seem to be fazed by the ongoing violence it has hosted.
harithfakhrudin
03-02-2007, 02:35 AM
someone died and you care about spoilers :eek: pathetic :(
that guy's not pathetic. he's got no heart. and it's football fans with no heart who've embarrassed this field.
the government needs to do sth.
macro
03-02-2007, 02:46 AM
give these boys jobs and they won't make any trouble.
BristolUK
03-02-2007, 03:14 AM
someone died and you care about spoilers :eek: pathetic :(
I don't even understand what the 'spoiler' is here.
Edited to add...I see this has just been moved. Isn't it important to us all and not just the Italian forum?
Ultimate_Red_Devil
03-02-2007, 03:25 AM
I don't even understand what the 'spoiler' is here.
The score of the match that started the riot.
First of all, it's a very tragic loss of the officer who was only doing his damn job and I'm sure didn't expect someone to throw a homemade bomb at him. (I hope they find the twat that threw it).
Tear gas on the pitch? Rioting? Homemade bombs? Geez... This is the last thing needed after the match fixing scandal. I wonder if it'll have to come to fans going through metal detectors to keep the peace. :( I'm sure it'll also be the last you'll see of flares...
Out of curiousity, since I don't watch Italian football, do they do the same thing the EPL does where in derbies each side is allocated x tickets? (United vs City being an EPL example).
DriveShot
03-02-2007, 03:37 AM
From my understanding, they didn't throw tear gas on the pitch, they had it outside and in the stands where the crowd was causing problems and the wind brought it onto the pitch.
Anyhow, Italian football really is a joke. Maybe they should suspend Italian football for the rest of the year just to make a point and show they won't stand for it.
The only real problem I have with it is how would next years CL and Uefa Cup spots be decided.
Maybe they should suspend Italian football for the rest of the year just to make a point and show they won't stand for it.
That obviously won't happen, think of the financial ramifications for ever single club in Italy. No reason to prove a point if it will only hurt the nation even more.
aribeth
03-02-2007, 04:23 AM
wtf, another tragedy happened in italian football, when i heard it this morning, i was shocked. i hope the italian football association could learn something from the English Premium League.
it's really disappointing that i was looking forward to the inter-roma match :(
rollosan
03-02-2007, 05:39 AM
it's an awful shame. Can't believe they cannot do something to stop this :mad:
So far all the leagues are suspended and also the friendlies that the Italian national teams should have played next week.
broseph
03-02-2007, 06:24 AM
here's a youtube of stuff actually happening during the match. watch with sound!
v/aP4FPIyTdI8
Seems a bit daft to keep playing when there is an enormous gas cloud engulfing the field. :eek:
spinepus
03-02-2007, 07:02 AM
awful, awful news
limonov
03-02-2007, 07:12 AM
holy crap! it popped!
come to think of, ronaldo's bad luck/omen...
AndyP
03-02-2007, 08:28 AM
Honestly, it isn't very surprising to me. The match footage is just the same ol italian football crap. The thing that stands out is the policeman's death. That's truly terrible.
Dirtycheat
03-02-2007, 09:01 AM
just rediculous, seriously not cool.
kuuze
03-02-2007, 09:20 AM
Fcuk... this is pretty sad...
Crazy Italia... :(
gunnersfan
03-02-2007, 09:50 AM
jesus, i just read this on bbc, not good at all!
tanja
03-02-2007, 10:17 AM
R.I.P. Filippo Raciti :(
eurotrash
03-02-2007, 11:18 AM
someone died and you care about spoilers :eek: pathetic :(
People die all the time; and while it is of course a tragedy that this happened, spoilers affect us forum members more than some unknown person's death.
Anyway I think it's really fucked up to suspend all football in Italy. I mean even the friendlies against Romania and the U21, it's only damaging to Italy's football. They should just punish Sicily, or the cities who took part in it.
Marcello™
03-02-2007, 11:43 AM
I just got a bad Rep it said - fuckin sicilians hey? - to my 1st post in this thread
i am a so called Fuking sicilian dickhead!!!
someone died and you care about spoilers :eek: pathetic :(
Excuse me, i stopped reading when i saw the third sentence as i feared spoilers for another match (as roma vs ac milan)..
They should just punish Sicily, or the cities who took part in it.
No, I don't think that's enough. This sort of stuff (minus the deaths) has been happening in Napoli and Rome quite regularly. Remember the Milan derby CL 2005 quarter final?
People die all the time; and while it is of course a tragedy that this happened, spoilers affect us forum members more than some unknown person's death.
Sorry but i don't agree, and in fact i'm a bit surprised this comment comes from someone like you whose most posts are sensible.Who really gives a fuck if someone won't be able to enjoy this game knowing the result when we have a tragedy here.Not really important at all.And this isn't directed at you but this "people die all the time" moto has gone a bit too far here.Does it mean we should stop caring about it?Ofcourse people every day, but when they do unnecessarily at a football game then it's a tragic event.
So my point is WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT SPOILERS.This game is a shame for italian football and football in general.
Throwing gas at the stands was a bad move by the italian police.You shouldn't throw gas inside a stadium.This could have been a lot worse.People could have panicked, try to get out and just imagine what a nightmare could happen.
And while i agree that more tight security is definitely needed in italian stadiums, the tragic incident happened outside, where the thugs went prepared for a war carrying fire bombs:mad:
And yes, fuck off K3N.I'm gonna give you a negative rep as well and you can retaliate if you want or tell me to fuck off as well.The first thing that came on your mind was "oh my god spoilers?":mad:
BristolUK
03-02-2007, 07:13 PM
I don't even understand what the 'spoiler' is here.
The score of the match that started the riot.
Ah yes...I hadn't noticed it. Probably because it didn't seem the least bit relevant considering the real story.:(
indomitable_lion
03-02-2007, 09:28 PM
I must applaud the Italian FA for their course of action. I hope good things come from this. This is a small symptom of a very big problem with football.
That big problem is fans who appropriate football for things that have nothing to do with football and the authorities tolerating it for whatever reason. Take for example Fabio Capello's situation with some Real Madrid fans. If the fans were abusing him why didn't he just tell security to kick them out of the stadium? Instead he felt his only method of retaliation was to give them the finger. I'm not saying a coach should be able to have whoever he wants kicked out but if fans are being abusive, they deserve to be kicked out.
The culture needs to change. Not just in Italian football but in all of football. This is the only sport I know of that regularly has fan violence in the headlines. Henry was right, when people go to the stadium they feel like they can say whatever they want and that's not right.
cartbran
03-02-2007, 09:40 PM
here's a youtube of stuff actually happening during the match. watch with sound!
v/aP4FPIyTdI8
There is tear gas cannisters going off near the field of play. The entire pitch is covered in tear gas and players are pleading with the ref to stop the match. What is this refs problem? It just goes to show that fan violence is not the only thing wrong with Italian football right now. The official in this instance totally lacked any basic common sense and notion of propriety or safety until much too late.
I was really disgusted at the scenes I saw early this morning on RAI which showed all the videos and violence. Then I was REALLY upset that all the games and International games were cancelled. But then quickly I realized that it should have beed done ALOT FUCKEN EARLIER. These hooligans have been the CANCER of Calcio for TOO LONG.
The blood of Filippo Raciti is on the hands of the FIGC who have DONE NOTHING FOR TO LONG. They have done nothing to improve security or stop the violence which is at the root of the low attendence across the country.
It's too bad it took someone to died in order for them to act. (as usual)
Marcello™
04-02-2007, 05:56 AM
Italian Ultras will never learn
It's too bad it took someone to died in order for them to act. (as usual)
There was also the fan stabbed to death in a '95 Genoa-Milan match. Hopefully something is actually done this time.
Hawk- { @Marshall@ }
04-02-2007, 08:13 AM
Too bad that we see such things in football. Let's hope it will end soon in Italia, as it has ended in England
Marcello™
04-02-2007, 10:56 AM
If they make it behind closed doors most porbly end up in more fights.. All the ultras will get involed for not being able to support there team
djcash50
04-02-2007, 11:11 AM
Let's see...
1. crappy stadiums
2. expensive tickets
3. pay tv
and now.... 4. fear of death. Boy, no wonder attendance sucks.
I've actually had the pleasure of being at a match like that. Remember Juve-Fiorentina. I was in the Juve section in Florence. Before getting into the stadium, I had bottles thrown at me, a bomb blow up next to me, and tear gas burn my face, throat and eyes. It's all very adrenaline pumping, but dangerous as hell.
I think the rest of the season should be 'a porta chiusa', empty stadiums, and Ultras should be kept a good 500 yards away from the stadium.
aundrea
04-02-2007, 01:41 PM
i cant believe some people actually care more about match spoilers than people dying. this is a real dark history in italian football. i just looked at the poll on Soccernet, it seems like more people think that the current situation will not get better.
Raciti murder "was revenge"
Sunday 4 February, 2007
The police are now suggesting that Filippo Raciti was targeted in a revenge killing for acting as a witness in the trial of a Catania Ultra’.
The 38-year-old policeman was killed during riots that surrounded the Stadio Massimino while Catania-Palermo was played inside.
An autopsy has now confirmed he died from massive liver damage. “The cause of death is clear,” announced the MD.
It was already known that the Catania fans staged an ambush on the arriving Palermo fans and police force, but a frightening new theory has come to light – the football match was merely an excuse to exact revenge on the Chief Inspector.
“In the last few weeks, Filippo had acted as a key witness in the trial of a Catania Ultra’ accused of violence in the last derby at Palermo. He was the one who nailed him, reconstructing the events of another nightmare evening,” explained police colleague Claudio Anzalone.
“Filippo told me how things unfolded. That lad, who got a suspended sentence, left the court laughing at him and hurling insults. Now this incident could really mean something, even if nobody listened to our warnings before.”
This theory would fit in with the sequence of events on Friday evening at the Stadio Massimino.
The Palermo fans did not arrive until the second half and it was here that the trouble erupted, when Catania supporters waiting outside the stadium began their ambush.
Raciti, one of the policemen escorting the visiting fans, was struck in the chest by a rock and then a homemade bomb was thrown at his car.
“We can confirm that there was no involvement of the Rosanero fans,” said Catania police chief Ignazio Fonzo.
“The riot was solely created by pseudo-Catania supporters, real delinquents with a premeditated action of extreme violence. It’s a little early to talk today about a premeditated and targeted murder, however.”
More evidence suggests this may have been revenge for the last Sicilian derby, won 5-3 by Palermo at the Stadio Barbera on September 20.
Raciti had been placed in a desk job for the past few months, but became restless and at his request was returned to duty at football matches just over a week ago.
The tension expected in the derby may well have given the criminals the perfect excuse to commit murder disguised as football-related violence.
Last night the police raided several different Catania fan clubs to weed out the more hardline elements. So far 22 people are under arrest.
Wow, I thought he was just caught in between fire, but he was actually targetted... :(
indomitable_lion
04-02-2007, 05:04 PM
It's as I suspected. People appropriating football for things that have nothing to do with it. Sometimes I wish that I lived in Europe and could go to see football matches in personbut when I read these stories I don't have a very strong desire to do so.
The hooligan culture really scares me. To think that I would be beaten up by a bunch of United fans for wearing a Liverpool jersey in a certain section of the stadium is something that I just cannot understand.
Wow, I thought he was just caught in between fire, but he was actually targetted... :(
Yeah, i heard that scenario too.Really stupid thugs.Conspiring to kill a police officer.Some really stupid people are going away for a looong time:mad:
And they are not gonna walk out of the court laughing this time...
They believe it's some kind of game or something.Playing it tough, fighting against other fans on the streets.I'm sure they thought they would get back at him, showing the cops they are not to be messed with.Well, when you kill a police officer, assholes, things get very serious.
indomitable_lion
04-02-2007, 09:37 PM
Well, when you kill a police officer, assholes, things get very serious.Good point. Fans have been killed before and little decisive action was taken. This time that a cop's been killed things have gotten a lot more serious.
BristolUK
04-02-2007, 10:09 PM
Revenge?
Am I being cynical in wondering if that's very convenient?
Rival39
05-02-2007, 02:00 AM
embarassment for all Sicilians.
and just to top it off we are all stuborn bastards :p
dkalley
05-02-2007, 04:17 AM
I think the development of this is going to be interesting...Italy has needed to clean up it's act with club football and with ultras. The significance of the policeman being killed is that the ultras there target cops, it is the same as the political riots... To target cops which represent authority and the state, which has nothing to do with sport in this case. The game is just a stage for there theatre of violence.
To do it right a lot of people are going to be pissed off. No more pre-game access (where the pyrotechnics are probably stashed to begin with). No more club support, who are being extorted and threatened. No more tickets for supporters. Sadly these "fans" will interpret this as big money football taking away their sport. And, join the ranks of hooligans who will be harder for the authorities to identify and control since they won't be wearing colors anymore.
This is a good opportunity for Italy (and for the rest of football) to get rid of thugs and political ultras. But I don't think it will be very easy.
bass7bn
05-02-2007, 03:44 PM
i can't believe that, how horrible. tear gas, bombs, riots, murder what the f.:mad:
mosesmalone
05-02-2007, 07:36 PM
I don't want to speak just on this incident, but in general...
Logistically speaking, many of the stadia in Europe are a nightmare. You have these massive venues that were built decades ago, wedged between the organs of a city. People are flooding in from each and every corner of the town, by any and all means of transportation, and it just becomes a recipe for chaos. Too many times, there are people standing around in the streets outside of a stadium during a game, with the sole intent of causing trouble. And even if they're not poised to do harm, you really don't need a swarm of people loitering outside. Once a game has started, the streets around the venue need to be shut down, and entry needs to be limited to a single gate, or side, of the stadium. Some cities already do this, but so many still do not, and it just continues to baffle me. If you can get people to where they need to be in an efficient manner, it makes controlling them during and after the game that much easier.
Individual turnstiles at ALL stadiums would be a plus as well. We don't need to start going nuts and frisking people, but if the individuals that enter a stadium are accounted for, it will certainly help to improve the situation... and you likely won't have Vespa's wandering into the stands. I can't tell you how many times I've been to games in Spain and never had to show my ticket to anyone. You can just enter with a mass of people, and once in the stadium, funnel over to wherever you want to sit. If you feel like standing, but the crowd around you is sitting, you can just move over to another part of the stadium. It's great as a spectator, but from an organizational perspective, it's a distaster, and more importantly, defeats the purpose of even having an all-seat venue.
Oh, and even better, it would be great to see clubs use some of the new innovations that are available. Card-scanning and photo-checking for real-time confirmation are technologies that are currently in use and would definitely clean up the entry process, without the slowdowns associated with typical entry checks.
But...
One of the basic problems here, is that clubs are not willing to invest millions of dollars into repairing or rebuilding their stadiums when they're not going to see any return on that investment (which is understandable, seeing as in many cases they don't even own the facilities). So, to solve the problem, local governments are going to need to step in as well. And, of course, that opens up another host of issues...
lpkor
05-02-2007, 08:28 PM
I think the rest of the season should be 'a porta chiusa'
. . .me too, I agree completely, Italy needs to seriously reform its sport. Scandal after scandal, the serie a is nothing what it used to be. Teams are going to suffer tremendously from stadium revenue loss but thats the way its going to be until Italians take a stance to whats going on in the sport. England did it in the early 80's and look at what stadiums are like today, still fanatic and supportive of their teams but in an environment where families and hot women feel welcome. ; )
indomitable_lion
05-02-2007, 08:35 PM
This is tragic. :mad:
But I am one of those who thinks that you can't punish the masses for the stupidity of the few. Stop the weekend games, work all week for measures, and suspend one or both of the teams from the tournament.
Argentina could very easily be next. :(If it would prevent needless deaths from football related violence, don't you think it's worth it?
mosesmalone
05-02-2007, 09:15 PM
If it would prevent needless deaths from football related violence, don't you think it's worth it?
It doesn't prevent deaths, though. It just delays them. We've been having stadium closures for how many years now? Yet there's no end to the violence in sight.
You can't go and tell a club to clean up its act and then strip it of its revenue. That's like telling you to make a bunch of expensive repairs to your home, but during that time, you can't work or get a paycheck. That's not going to fly.
Through all of this, though, we have to remember that we can't place the blame for these sorts of things on all Ultras. Many, if not most, are good fans that pour their heart and soul into the team. They're an extension of the game, and they bring an energy and passion that we love to the sport. You don't have to take away the banners, the flags, the jumping, and the singing to make football a safe sport to watch. You just have to get rid of the idiots.
indomitable_lion
06-02-2007, 05:57 AM
I guess I'll ask the question lots of people have asked, why is this such a big problem everywhere except England? England has its own problems but nowhere near as bad as most other countries with popular leagues.
I guess I'll ask the question lots of people have asked, why is this such a big problem everywhere except England? England has its own problems but nowhere near as bad as most other countries with popular leagues.
Because England had the biggest problem, but after the Heysel Stadium disaster(and Hillsborugh, but that tragedy was not related to hooliganism.Nonetheless it changed a lot of things in english football) they decided to deal with it.
Football pays the price for it's popularity.Violence stems from social problems, not football related.
thelovepizza
06-02-2007, 04:14 PM
they decided to deal with it.
And it was the best thing to ever happen to English football.
I'm not old enough to remember what it was like at its worst moments, but you talk to people at matches and they'll tell you how different things now are. Its not just violence...racism has been combatted very well (although I'd be a fool to say it was gone).
All seater stadiums. (George Best: "the fans will never stand for it" haha!)
Family orientated experiance.
No flares or alcohol.
Bans for hooligans strictly enforced.
Etc etc.
Those kind of sacrifices were all necessary but even that won't solve Italy's problems. :(
aundrea
06-02-2007, 07:08 PM
In Serie A, only Rome's Olympic Stadium, Palermo's Barbera Stadium, the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Siena and Turin's Olympic Stadium currently meet regulations introduced in 2005.
The rest needed varying degrees of work to bring them up to scratch. Among those are several famous venues, including Milan's San Siro - home to AC Milan and Inter Milan - and Florence's Stadio Franchi.
In lower divisions the situation is even worse. Only two clubs in Serie B play in stadiums that meet regulations.
'Many stadiums not only don't come close to the norms set out by my predecessor ... but it seems clear that many clubs purposefully try to avoid the regulations,' said Amato.
Source (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=407063&cc=5901)
Italy approves hooligan measures
Italy's football stadiums which are not in line with security regulations will remain shut as the government approved a set of measures to fight hooliganism.
"Matches in stadiums which aren't in line with regulations will be played behind closed doors," said deputy Interior Minister Marco Minniti.
The move follows a policeman's death during clashes between fans.
Filippo Raciti died after he was struck by a blunt object during rioting at the derby between Catania and Palermo.
Italian stadium lockout plan
The measures include a ban on the block sale of tickets to away fans, a beefing-up of stadium bans for those involved in violence at grounds and a ban on financial or working relationships between clubs and fan associations.
The minister of sport, Giovanni Melandri also announced an increase in the minimum jail sentence for those who incite violence at football matches from three years to five. Fans with a history of violence can be banned from stadia for up to seven years.
Italian justice minister Clemente Mastella believes that improving Italian football grounds is key to combating violence.
"We know that this decree may cause some problems to the fans but I am sure they will understand, those who may not understand will be the violent fans," he said.
"There has been a lot of talk in recent days about English football as an example, we can only look at European stadia to see that they are very different from what we have here in Italy."
But the plan was fiercely criticised from figures within the world of Italian football.
Napoli's president Aurelio De Laurentiis said a "fascist climate" had descended on the country since the policeman's death.
"The closed stadiums are a ridiculous idea. They can't impose these regulations on us. We must go on strike," said De Laurentiis. [BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH!!!!!!!!!]
The presidents of clubs in the top two divisions Serie A and Serie B will meet on Thursday to discuss the anti-hooligan plan at a meeting of the Italian Football League on Thursday.
It is understood that only five stadiums 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.
"It would be better to halt play for another week because playing behind closed doors would be the death of football," AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini said of the idea of playing matches without the fans.
The president of Palermo warned that the government's unyielding stance would fail to curb the violence.
"They have drawn up these measures without listening to the clubs that have been fighting violence for years," Maurizio Zamparini said.
"Even if we close the stadiums, these criminals will do the same outside."
The policy will hit Italy's lower divisions even harder than Serie A.
Eight out of 11 matches in the next round of Serie B matches are expected to be played behind closed doors if the government pushes the measures through.
An estimated £9.9m (15m euros) is lost by halting a day's games in Italian football.
Source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6340537.stm)
This all seems reasonable, but it also seems like they are just slapping a bandaid on the problem. Doesn't even begin to address the probem of violence outside the stadiums (which might explode if the games are played behind closed doors and nothing else is changed in the meantime).
cartbran
07-02-2007, 08:54 PM
This all seems reasonable, but it also seems like they are just slapping a bandaid on the problem. Doesn't even begin to address the probem of violence outside the stadiums (which might explode if the games are played behind closed doors and nothing else is changed in the meantime).I totally agree with you here. These measures seem totally below what you would expect and don't seem to target the right things. Look at this part of the story:
The measures include a ban on the block sale of tickets to away fans, a beefing-up of stadium bans for those involved in violence at grounds and a ban on financial or working relationships between clubs and fan associations.These all seem to be sidestepping the problem. And in the case of the latter, relationships between fans and clubs could actually be instrumental in fixing the problem.
It all just reminds of what happened after the match fixing with Juvy, Fiorentina, Milan, etc. In that case, the authorities announced immediately harsh punishments for all teams involved. In this case, they did the same and proposed closing doors across Serie A until a plan could be worked out to improve the situation (which I agree with). Then in the match fixing case, the authorities caved and reduced the punishment before it was even implemented. And we see the same in this case, with only some clubs having to play behind closed doors and the response actions and proposed rules don't seem to target the problem adequately. Then in the match fixing case, the clubs appealed in the courts and got their judgements further reduced to just slaps on the wrist. I bet we will see Catania, Palermo, Napoli, etc all playing in front of their full fans without having to change anything about their stadium security in a matter of weeks.
Italian football seems like it never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. But really, open doors/closed doors doesn't really matter anyways the way attendance has been dropping in Serie A. Maybe they should just drop the football altogether and open up the stadiums to let the fans fight each other in a huge rumble inside. Just to take it right back to the Roman traditions of the coliseum.
harithfakhrudin
07-02-2007, 11:38 PM
Italian justice minister Clemente Mastella believes that improving Italian football grounds is key to combating violence.
"We know that this decree may cause some problems to the fans but I am sure they will understand, those who may not understand will be the violent fans," he said.
"There has been a lot of talk in recent days about English football as an example, we can only look at European stadia to see that they are very different from what we have here in Italy."
He got it right there.
"It would be better to halt play for another week because playing behind closed doors would be the death of football," AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini said of the idea of playing matches without the fans.
Can't agree more with Maldini.
Closed door stadium is definitely no solution. No doubt.
harithfakhrudin
09-02-2007, 05:39 AM
another news abt this mess. this is from soccernet.
Only five of the six stadia still open to spectators were scheduled to host games this weekend in the first matches played in the country since police officer Filippo Raciti was killed during last Friday's Sicily derby between Palermo and Catania.
Serie B will resume on Saturday with no spectators present and on Sunday only five of the 10 Serie A fixtures will have fans present.
Rome's Stadio Olimpico, Genoa's Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Turin's Stadio Olimpico, Palermo's Stadio Renzo Barbera, Siena's Stadio Artemio Franchi and Cagliari's Stadio Sant'Elia have passed the safety tests.
Siena are playing away at Cagliari but the other five stadia will be in use.
The rest of the programme will be played with no spectators present - even Milan's historic San Siro stadium will be closed for the AC Milan versus Livorno fixture where Brazilian striker Ronaldo is expected to make his debut in front of only scores of journalists, officials and club employees.
Sataris
09-02-2007, 06:09 AM
My solution
Ban all Italian Clubs from ALL UEFA Competitions for 3 years
yes that includes the NT and Euro 2008
the first two years on probation, any fan violence, ban is increased by a year per incident
Too lenient?
deviant
09-02-2007, 07:51 AM
My solution
Ban all Italian Clubs from ALL UEFA Competitions for 3 years
yes that includes the NT and Euro 2008
the first two years on probation, any fan violence, ban is increased by a year per incident
Too lenient?
You do that and I'll have to practice my stabbin on you
Sataris
09-02-2007, 09:22 PM
You do that and I'll have to practice my stabbin on you
Seems like thats what got you in this mess in the first place? :rolleyes: ;)
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