SERIE A CANCELLED

[The Bossman]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6326513.stm

LINK ^

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has called off all this weekend's Serie A and Serie B games after a policeman was killed at a match on Friday. Officer Filippo Raciti died as violence flared during the Serie A game between Sicilian rivals Catania and Palermo.

FIGC has also cancelled Italy's friendly with Romania on Wednesday and all matches until a solution is found.

Commissioner Luca Pancalli said: "What we're witnessing has nothing to do with soccer, so Italian soccer is stopping."

He added that the decision to stop the games for the duration of the weekend was not enough, and said there would be more meetings on Monday "to identify those drastic measures that will allow us to restart. Otherwise, we're not restarting the games."

The game was already given an early time slot on Friday because of fears over public safety.

The derby game was suspended after an hour when tear gas, used by police to break up the fighting outside the ground, drifted onto the field.

There was fighting outside the ground, reported ANSA news agency, because Palermo fans could not get into Catania's Stadio Massimino until the second half.

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

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

Atfer the match, fans continued to fight running battles with police on the streets outside the stadium and around 100 people were being treated for injuries.

The federation said that another police officer was in critical condition, and police said dozens of people with lesser injuries had been taken to local hospitals.

Catania club executive Pietro Lo Monaco reacted to news of the officer's death by announcing he would leave football.

"I've heard that a policeman has died," he said. "To speak of football right now seems useless. For me this is the end. I will leave the football world.

"I don't recognise myself in this world anymore. I have loved football intensely but after this right now it seems absurd."

Palermo coach Francesco Guidolin was quick to blame Catania fans for the violence.

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

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

Italian prime minister Romano Prodi also issued a statement.

"After the serious incidents that occurred tonight in Catania, my first thought is for the people that have been affected and for their families," he said.

"I feel a duty to say that we need a strong and clear signal to avoid the degeneration of this sport which we are seeing more dramatically and more often."

Palermo had taken the lead through Andrea Caracciolo, but Catania equalised within 60 seconds of the teams coming back out thanks to Fabio Caserta.

Palermo won the game with a controversial David di Michele goal in the 83rd minute.

The rest of Serie A's games have been cancelled for this season, and I don't know if it will be the same next season or if it'll go back to normal.

[Godfather]

old..

fun. I hate football

[JOYA]

I hate it when this kind of stuff happens, but surely there's no need to cancel it.

[The Bossman]

The info is becoming slightly clearer now - it might NOT be for the rest of the season, it might just be 2 rounds of games in serie A and not the rest of the season as some journalists predicted. I hope they don't cancel it, mainly because it would be hugely unfair on Inter Milan who haven't been beaten this season in 20 games (17 wins, 3 draws).

[TM™]

I was watching this in the BBC News, and after hearing it, I was laughing my head off! But seriously alot of People watching football on TV are missing there match because of these football Holigons in Sicily.

I tell you, it always has to rivialy against each other that makes this happen, can't they really get along.

[JOYA]

I watched the funeral on TV last night. His daughter spoke at the funeral. It was very sad.

Life goes on. So should the football.

[The Bossman]

some info from bbc.co.uk/football

Six Italian stadiums get go-ahead

Milan's San Siro stadium will keep its doors closed to fans

The Italian government has allowed six stadiums to restart staging matches in front of supporters this weekend.

But AC Milan and Inter will continue to play behind closed doors as the San Siro stadium, which they share, does not meet security arrangements.

The six stadiums that can re-admit fans are in Rome (Olympic Stadium), Genoa, Siena, Cagliari, Palermo and Turin.

The measures were brought in after the death of a police officer, who was hit by an object at a game in Sicily.

Italian stadium lockout plan

Football stadiums not in line with existing security regulations will stay shut after the government approved a set of measures to fight hooliganism.

Police officer Filippo Raciti died after he was struck by a blunt object during rioting at the derby between Catania and Palermo.

The ban on fans at the San Siro also applies to AC Milan's Champions League last-16 tie with Celtic.

Milan could play the tie behind closed doors, but Newcastle and Swiss outfit Geneva have offered to stage the game.

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani criticised the decision to keep the San Siro closed.

e told the club's website: "We have done everything we could do.

"I think it's fundamentally unjust to close a stadium like the San Siro on which we have already spent 20m euros for works which are never ending.

"We have done everything the law has asked us to do and have no reason to feel bad."

"As far as the Champions League is concerned, we are free to play at home, maybe behind closed doors, or away from home.

"Geneva and Newcastle have offered to let us play there."

The new measures introduced 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.

Other leading figures in Italian football also criticised the decision.

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.

"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.

An estimated £9.9m (15m euros) is lost by halting a day's games in Italian football.