Too many articles about football violence
Soccer violence raises old demons
LONDON (Reuters) - If the ugly scenes witnessed in Rome and Seville are anything to go by the unattractive face of the Beautiful Game has come snarling back to life.
Manchester United fans in Italy and Tottenham Hotspur supporters in Spain have clashed with baton-wielding riot police during United's Champions League match against AS Roma and Spurs' UEFA Cup game against Sevilla.
It is too early to judge for sure whether what has happened heralds a return to the dark ages of the 1970s and 1980s when English fans exported a particular brand of thuggery.
Wednesday's events in Rome and Thursday's in Seville have involved travelling English fans and some heavy-handed police brutality rather than old-fashioned fighting between rival sets of supporters - although there was something of that involved.
What is certain is that these incidents are just the latest in a growing number of violent confrontations at high-profile European matches and UEFA, and its new president Michel Platini, need to act fast to nip this growing problem in the bud before football is pitched back into the mess of two decades ago.
UEFA should go beyond punishing clubs with paltry fines and ground closures and consider kicking out every club which cannot police and steward fans safely.
English clubs have learnt their lessons from the disasters of the past with safe grounds, modern stadiums and, in the main, excellent security control at matches played in England.
Now UEFA should ensure that every other country emulates England's domestic standards -- or refuse clubs permission to play in their competitions.
FAR WORSE
Wednesday's violence in Rome appears to have been far worse than that which occurred in Seville, even though a number of Spurs fans ended up in hospital.
What UEFA needs to establish immediately is what has caused two similar incidents in two countries 24 hours apart.
To paint a picture of innocent Manchester United and Spurs fans being provoked by aggressive Roma or Sevilla supporters and then battered by vicious Italian and Spanish police would be too simplistic.
There is often an under-current of potential violence among groups of English fans both at home and in Europe.
However, suggestions made on Thursday by Italian officials that United fans came looking for trouble appear wide of the mark. The ones with the weapons were the Roma fans and the Italian police and most of those on the receiving end were United fans.
Without doubt, stadium security in Italy is not as good as it is in England. The death of Italian policeman Filippo Raciti during rioting at a Serie A match between Catania and Palermo in early February was proof of that.
Measures have since been taken to improve the security at many of Italy's outdated grounds.
SERIOUS CONCERN
The structures, however, are only part of the problem. Wednesday night's violence highlighted the other serious concern -- who is responsible for the safety of fans once inside the ground.
At the moment city councils send in ordinary police, who do little more than keep rivals supporters apart.
Many in the country have suggested that the clubs themselves should take responsibility for safety by employing specially-trained stewards to stamp out violent behaviour by individuals before it spreads.
For those who follow Italian football closely, the images of policemen thumping fans are depressingly familiar.
But the rank and file of Italian police are, in the main, poorly paid and do a thankless job. The average Italian policeman earns about 1,400 euros a month. They do not get extra for keeping rival sets of fans apart on matchdays.
Faced with 5,000 angry Manchester United fans, who were shouting words they did not understand and who were trying to break through their lines to reach the taunting Roma supporters the Italian police lost their cool and lashed out.
Where this leaves Italy's bid for Euro 2012 is anybody's guess.
Though the bid is considered a strong favorite to beat off rival joint bids by Hungary and Croatia, and Poland and Ukraine, the images will still be fresh in the minds of UEFA's executive committee when they vote in Cardiff on April 18.
But unless UEFA are certain that a match can be policed properly, that properly trained stewards search fans on arrival and the risk of danger to home and visiting fans is minimal, they should not sanction a game to take place.
President Platini has many problems to solve in his new job and making sure international events can take place in modern safe conditions in places like Rome and Seville must be at the top of his agenda.
Second straight night of violence in European soccer
Tottenham fans fought with Spanish police in riot gear Thursday night during the English team's UEFA Cup quarterfinal at Sevilla.
Seven fans of the London club were reportedly hospitalized -- mostly with cuts to their heads. A policeman also was reported to have been injured in the disturbances.
The violence appeared to begin at about the 30th minute of Sevilla's come-from-behind 2-1 win, after the home team tied the game on a disputed penalty kick by former Tottenham player Frederic Kanoute. Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson was called for a foul in the 18th for taking down Adriano Correia. Television replays showed Robinson got a hand to the ball before making contact with Adriano.
Fans ripped up plastic seats at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium and hurled them at police, who then hit spectators with night sticks. Before the match, about 50 Tottenham fans reportedly clashed with police outside the stadium.
On Wednesday, Italian police clashed with Manchester United fans during its Champions League match at AS Roma.
Sevilla, the defending UEFA Cup champion, got a go-ahead goal from Alexander Kerzhakov in the 36th. Robbie Keane scored for Spurs in the second minute.
Two other Spanish teams came away with first-leg victories. Osasuna won 3-0 at Bayer Levekusen and Espanyol won 3-2 at Benfica. In the other game, Werder Bremen tied 0-0 at the Netherlands' AZ Alkmaar.
Second legs of the total-goals series are scheduled for next Thursday.
Spurs fans to face Seville court after clashes
By Sonya Dowsett
MADRID, April 6 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur supporters were to blame for clashes with police during their team's UEFA Cup game at Sevilla and seven Spurs fans will appear in court, a Spanish official in Seville said on Friday.
However, Tottenham said they wanted answers from the Spanish authorities over what sparked the trouble because their fans, whose behaviour in Seville before the game had been excellent, were "showing no aggression whatsoever" at the match when some were set upon by riot police.
A number of Spurs fans were injured in the trouble that broke out in the first half of Thursday's quarter-final first leg at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, while television pictures showed seats and missiles being thrown at police.
Faustino Valdes, the Madrid government's representative in Seville, told Reuters: "We have two police...who have suffered some serious blows and we also have arrested some (seven) Tottenham fans who should be now appearing in court."
Spanish news agency Europa Press reported that 11 policemen suffered minor injuries as a result of Spurs fans throwing seats at them during the game. One policeman was admitted to hospital, but was released on Friday morning.
Explaining Thursday's events, Valdes said: "Some Tottenham fans under the influence of alcohol attacked the private security officers and police, there were some incidents as security tried to overcome the fans and nothing more."
However, Tottenham hit back on Friday in a statement defending the behaviour of their fans in Spain.
"Our supporters have been on four trips into Europe before this and have behaved impeccably so something was clearly different in the way they were treated last night to suffer this sort of response," said club secretary John Alexander.
"We really need to get to the bottom of just what the police were trying to do when they entered those segregation lines.
SET UPON
"We have been distressed to hear about incidents involving our supporters at a time when they were showing no aggression whatsoever and also in respect of our disabled supporters being set upon by the Spanish riot police.
"We need to understand how we are in a position whereby we have two... Spurs stewards assaulted by the Spanish police, along with our disability co-ordinator being injured too."
Tottenham said they would co-operate fully with European soccer's governing body UEFA, the British Embassy and the Spanish authorities to try to understand what happened.
Police chief superintendent Simon O'Brien, who was in Seville as an observer and will help the club investigate the cause of the trouble, praised the Tottenham stewards for doing "a remarkable and commendable job" at the match.
"...it was quite clear there was a different level of police intervention to that employed in the UK and the introduction of the police during the match in one particular section of the crowd undoubtedly contributed to the disturbances that we saw."
He said the behaviour of the Spurs fans' throughout the day was excellent and his comments were endorsed by Andy Smith, the FA Security Advisor who was also at the match.
Valdes sought to play down the trouble, adding there was no fan-on-fan violence, a view endorsed by Spurs, and that the afternoon in the city had passed smoothly.
"I really want to play down these events after the fantastic atmosphere that prevailed during the whole day.
"It was an incident surrounding a few people who behaved badly, probably because they had drunk too much."
The disturbances, which marred a 2-1 win for Sevilla, were the second to involve travelling English supporters in Europe in the space of 24 hours.
A total of 18 fans, 14 of them English and four Italian, were hurt in trouble in Rome where AS Roma beat Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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UEFA seeks sports police force by next season - report
LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - UEFA is working to try to introduce a cross-border sports police force to keep order at European soccer matches from next season, a British newspaper reported on Saturday.
Games involving English clubs Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in Europe this week were marred by violent clashes between fans and local police in Rome and Seville.
"We are looking to create a type of European sports police, a way of dealing systematically with the problem," The Daily Telegraph quoted a senior official of European soccer's governing body as saying.
UEFA President Michel Platini recently called for the setting up of an international police force to deal with sports related violence, a topic of discussion in a meeting he had with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
"We need cool heads. First of all, we cannot tolerate violence in any form off the pitch, but we also have to understand the mechanics of it," said the UEFA official, who was not identified.
"It is over the travelling fans that there are concerns over safety, because it is easier to cause trouble abroad than in England.
"But you have to take note of some reports in the Italian press after the incidents in Rome," he said.
"One point is the drinking habits of English fans, which do shock many southern Europeans."
There was trouble in the streets and in the stands when United met AS Roma in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Rome's Olympic Stadium on Wednesday with 18 fans, 14 English and four Italian, injured.
Baton-wielding Spanish riot police clashed with Spurs fans the following night during the first leg of the UEFA Cup quarter-final tie at Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
Both Spurs and Sevilla expressed shock at the force Spanish police used to remove English fans from an unauthorised area of the stands.
"We have been seriously concerned about the law and order situation around European games for the last six months," the official said.
British newspapers said Tottenham and Chelsea officials would be discussing the trouble in Seville when the teams meet in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Chelsea visit Spain next week to face Valencia in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Testimony raises doubts over cause of policeman's death
ROME, April 6 (Reuters) - The Italian policeman killed in February during clashes with soccer fans in Sicily was hit by a reversing police car and that, rather than rioters, may be what caused his death, a defence lawyer said on Friday.
The lawyer for the 17-year old boy accused of killing Filippo Raciti on Feb. 2 in Catania cited testimony by a fellow policeman, who said that he had hit something with the car while reversing away from firecrackers thrown by fans.
The policeman's testimony was printed by Italian magazine L'Espresso on Friday and prompted politicians from both Prime Minister Romano Prodi's coalition and the opposition to call for the claims to be investigated.
In the testimony given to police on Feb. 5, the policeman said he could not see properly because of thick smoke.
"I heard a knock against the car and I saw Raciti, who was (outside the car) on my left ... put his hands on his head. I stopped the vehicle and saw a couple of colleagues assisting him to prevent him from falling to the ground," he said.
Defence lawyer Giuseppe Lipera told Reuters the testimony shed a different light on the death of the policeman.
"I think that the boy has nothing to do with this. The link with the (car) accident seems very plausible," he said.
Politicians called on the government to investigate the claims at a time when Italian police are under fire for alleged heavy-handedness against Manchester United fans during this week's Champions League game against AS Roma.
Orazio Licandro, a lawmaker with the Communist party PDCI, said he would ask the interior minister to urgently comment on the new development in parliament.
"The testimony introduces elements which suggest a completely different case from the official version and makes us seriously consider that the death of Raciti could have been a tragic and banal accident," Licarno said.
Right-wing senator Roberto Calderoli said: "Out of respect for our security forces, we need to clear things up."
Raciti's death was initially attributed to a firecracker exploding in his face.
An autopsy later showed he died after suffering injuries to his ribs and liver due a blow from a blunt object, which prosecutors pinned on a piece of metal hurled by the teenager suspect.
But the defence team for the boy, whose name has not been made public because of his age, says that his injuries were consistent with him being hit by a car. The teenager is in jail awaiting trial.
Raciti's death outraged Italy and prompted the government to temporarily suspend matches and pass tougher laws to improve security at stadiums.
The chief prosecutor in Catania, Gaspare La Rosa, said on Friday the policeman's testimony was known by magistrates when they ordered the arrest of the teenager and that no new line of investigation was being considered.
English football fans in disgrace again, or are they?
SEVILLE, Spain (AFP) - Lurid newspaper headlines in Britain on Friday, after the UEFA Cup match between Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur, suggested that English football fans had disgraced themselves again.
However, the analysis of Thursday's incidents in Spain which came 24 hours after 13 Manchester United fans were taken to hospital after fighting between rival fans and police at Roma's Olympic stadium in Italy, was rather different.
The words mayhem and madness proliferated many of the British reports on Friday.
By contrast in Spain, what little mention there was of incidents of crowd violence during the 2-1 win by the local side and UEFA Cup holders over the visitors from London was confined to a few paragraphs on the inside pages.
"The behaviour of the English supporters was in general fine except for a group of around 200 violent ones who, from the start of the game, started fighting between themselves and then afterwards with the police," commented Spanish sports daily As.
Pictures of the fighting, which started about 10 minutes into the game, and other Spanish media accounts, suggest that only between 20 to 30 Tottenham fans were actually involved with the group throwing seats and stones at the police.
Sevilla football club themselves said that six Spurs fans had been treated at the ground with three of them taken to hospital for further treatment.
Police initially reported there had been no arrests but later said seven Tottenham supporters had been detained -- six inside the stadium and one outside of the grounds. Eleven officers were slightly injured, police said.
"The behaviour of the Tottenham fans outside the stadium was good. What happened inside the Sanchez Pizjuan was sad, the police had to defend themselves," said a Sevilla vice-president Jose Castro.
With an estimated 4,400 Spurs fans descending on Sevilla on one of the city's main festival days, Holy Thursday, and thanks to the hard-line attitude of UEFA in refusing to move the fixture, problems had been envisaged.
However, the nightmare scenario failed to emerge due to visible policing and the common sense from the vast majority of supporters from both sides. "A better atmosphere was almost impossible to imagine before the game.
Thousands of Spurs fans mingling regularly with many Sevilla fans, with the swapping of scarves and other items," reflected one eye-witness account in the Spanish sports daily Marca.
There was only one negative note before the game, when some Spurs fans dropped or smashed some glasses in a road near the stadium and batons were drawn by the police.
"Statistically something clumsy is going to happen between 4,000 people... a few blows, and then peace," added Marca, perhaps making a little too light of the incident.
Football's European governing body UEFA have already promised an investigation into the clashes inside the stadium.
"Any incidents of crowd trouble in the Sevilla against Tottenham match will be investigated by UEFA," said UEFA communications director William Gaillard, who was at the match.
Tottenham Hotspur released a statement early on Thursday morning."The club will be working with the appropriate authorities to ascertain the events of this evening in Seville."
"Our initial reports suggest there was no fan-to-fan fighting at any stage of the proceedings. As such we are seeking explanations as to why the police reacted in the way they did with our fans.
"Tottenham Hotspur supporters have enjoyed an exemplary reputation across Europe this season which is why the events are unprecedented. We will be co-operating fully with UEFA, the British Embassy and the Spanish authorities to understand why this has happened.
"British Police, the club's security officials, and club stewards - supported by British Embassy officials - will also be providing the Spanish authorities and UEFA with full statements from their first-hand experience of what happened tonight," said the London side.
However, Spanish pundits were left wondering on Friday whether this was, for once, a story of English football hooliganism which had been blown completely out of proportion.
Later on Friday, the BBC Internet site reported Tottenham accused Spanish police of hitting a disabled fan during Thursday's match.
Spurs club secretary John Alexander said: "We know one disabled fan was hit with a baton with such force that it knocked him out of his wheelchair." UEFA said they would investigate.
Police video points blame at United fans in Rome
ROME, April 6 (Reuters) - Italian authorities revealed video clips and photographs on Friday which they said proved that Manchester United fans were to blame for the violence at their team's Champions League game at AS Roma.
At least 18 fans were injured in clashes between police and rival fans at Wednesday's quarter-final first leg, sparking accusations by United and their supporters of heavy-handedness by Italian police.
But Rome security officials and police responded on Friday with a news conference at which they released video footage and photographs of trouble at the game, which Roma won 2-1.
The clips showed United fans pushing past Olympic stadium stewards towards Roma supporters, prompting Italian police to move in. United fans could then be seen hurling objects at the police, leading them to charge at the fans with batons.
Achille Serra, the government official responsible for public security in Rome, told reporters that the pictures proved United supporters were the cause of the trouble.
"English fans rushed against the stadium staff," he said.
"Videos that we have clearly show the throwing of seats and bottles by the English fans at police, who at that point, when the stadium staff were overwhelmed by fans, were forced to intervene to avoid collision between the two violent groups from both teams."
Television footage had previously focused on Italian police launching themselves at United fans, leaving several bleeding from head wounds. Fourteen of the 18 injured during the evening were English supporters.
Rome police chief Mario Fulvi told the news conference that at least 2,000 United fans had arrived at the stadium unaccompanied by the police, violating a prior agreement between the two sides to ensure security.
United and its fans have accused Italian police of meting out "indiscriminate beatings" at the game, while European soccer's ruling body UEFA has opened a probe into the clashes.
The events are still being verified, and any police abuse uncovered will be investigated, Serra said. Italy's interior ministry has already said Italian and British officials are co-operating to piece together the exact version of events.
Looking ahead, Serra had earlier told Reuters that Italian fans travelling to Manchester for the second leg next Tuesday should keep a low profile.
"Go and see the game, but don't be provocative in any way, walk around in groups, don't wave Roma scarves around, go there for the love of sport," he said.
"England is a country of great culture, groups of hooligans can be found in any place in the world, it is up to us not to support them or defend them in any way.
"I must send a message for calm, mainly considering the return game next week."
Rome officials again defend police in clashes with Manchester United fans
ROME (AP) -- Italian security officials defended the conduct of police in clashes with Manchester United fans, saying Friday the officers were defending themselves and that the visiting supporters started the violence.
The government's top security official in Rome showed video clips from Wednesday's Champions League match against AS Roma at a news conference Friday, and said it was clear the English team's fans started the clashes.
Prefect Achille Serra was responding to complaints from United fans that the police overreacted.
"The officers couldn't escape at this point," he said, showing one clip in which the police were pushed up against a barricade in the stands. "They were completely surrounded."
The Italian Interior Ministry said late Wednesday the British Embassy and the Italian police were working together to determine what happened.
UEFA is awaiting reports from match and security officials on the clashes; both clubs could face a disciplinary hearing.
During the match, which Roma won 2-1, police in riot gear clashed with some of United's 4,500 fans. Police hit fans with batons as opposing fans taunted and threw objects at each other across the partition separating the rival sections.
Serra said the injured included three United fans who were stabbed and another 14 United fans with lesser injuries. Four Roma fans and seven police officers were also injured, he said.
Three United fans were arrested on charges of violence against a public officer, Serra said.
Rome police chief blames Man Utd fans for crowd trouble
ROME (AFP) - Rome's police chief Achille Serra said on Friday that Manchester United fans were to blame for the violence that marred the Champions League match between the English Premiership club and Roma.
United and Roma fans were involved in fighting outside the Olympic Stadium before Wednesday's quarter-final, first leg, while riot police used batons to subdue visiting supporters when fresh disturbances erupted inside the ground.
The ugly skirmishes left 25 people injured, 14 from England and 11 Italian, of which seven were police officers.
European football's governing body, UEFA, has launched an inquiry into the crowd violence and are expected to make a decision next week as to whether the clubs will face disciplinary charges.
British politicians and Manchester United chiefs have accused Italian police of using excessive force on the English fans, but Serra believes the actions of his officers were justified.
"At the moment when Roma scored the first goal (in the 44th minute) between 100 and 200 drunk Manchester supporters moved towards the glass barrier seperating the stands," Serra told a news conference which included the screening of a seven-minute video of the violence.
He continued: "On the other side Roma hooligans were doing the same thing.
"But while officials managed to stop the Roma fans' advance they were completely swamped by the English and it's because of that that it was necessary for the police to intervene."
Visibly irritated by criticism of his men he added: "The police found themselves right up against the barrier leaving it impossible for them to retreat and you can clearly see one hooligan who was inciting the others to attack.
"Then batons were used in a bid to disperse them as you wouldn't think about tackling maniacs with flowers."
He then turned to the question of why police officers were only positioned on the United supporters' side of the barrier, explaining that they were always stationed with the visiting fans "to defend or contain them".
"It's always like that, whether it be Chievo Verona, Palermo, Valence or Manchester," he stressed.
Serra believes United's warning to their travelling fans about the potential dangers in Rome - posted on the club's website several days before the match - created unnecessary tension.
"Manchester United's warning left me worried and it wasn't something I had expected," he said.
"Rome is one of the safest capital cities in the world. Their warning could have been taken as a form of provocation for some hot-headed Roma fans."
English fans were in the spotlight again on Thursday after Tottenham Hotspur fans fought with Spanish police during their UEFA Cup match against Sevilla.
Three fans of English Premiership side Middlesbrough were stabbed in Rome last year when rival fans clashed before a UEFA Cup match.
Roma fans warned against flag-waving in England
ROME, April 6 (Reuters) - Italian fans travelling to England for next week's Champions League game between Manchester United and AS Roma should keep a low profile after clashes in Rome this week, the Italian capital's security chief said on Friday.
At least 18 fans were injured in clashes between police and rival fans at Wednesday's quarter-final first leg, sparking accusations of heavy-handedness by Italian police.
But Achille Serra, the government official responsible for public security in Rome, said local police acted properly at the match and asked Italian fans to be extra careful at Tuesday's second leg at Old Trafford.
"Go and see the game, but don't be provocative in any way, walk around in groups, don't wave Roma scarves around, go there for the love of sport," Serra told Reuters.
"England is a country of great culture, groups of hooligans can be found in any place in the world, it is up to us not to support them or defend them in any way."
Serra said he would soon release pictures proving that English fans started the trouble at Wednesday's game, which Roma won 2-1.
United and its fans have accused Italian police of meting out "indiscriminate beatings" at the game, while European soccer's ruling body UEFA has opened a probe into the clashes.
But Serra said United supporters were to blame.
"English fans rushed against the stadium staff," he said.
MISSILE THROWING
"Videos that we have clearly show the throwing of seats and bottles by the English fans at police, who at that point, when the stadium staff were overwhelmed by fans, were forced to intervene to avoid collision between the two violent groups from both teams."
The events are still being verified, and any police abuse uncovered will be investigated, Serra said. Italy's interior ministry has already said Italian and British officials are co-operating to piece together the exact version of events.
So far, television images have shown Italian police charging at English fans with shields and batons, leaving several bleeding from head wounds. Fourteen of the 18 injured during the evening were English fans.
But for now, it was important to try and ease tension ahead of Tuesday's match, Serra said.
"I must send a message for calm, mainly considering the return game next week," he said.
LONDON (Reuters) - If the ugly scenes witnessed in Rome and Seville are anything to go by the unattractive face of the Beautiful Game has come snarling back to life.
Manchester United fans in Italy and Tottenham Hotspur supporters in Spain have clashed with baton-wielding riot police during United's Champions League match against AS Roma and Spurs' UEFA Cup game against Sevilla.
It is too early to judge for sure whether what has happened heralds a return to the dark ages of the 1970s and 1980s when English fans exported a particular brand of thuggery.
Wednesday's events in Rome and Thursday's in Seville have involved travelling English fans and some heavy-handed police brutality rather than old-fashioned fighting between rival sets of supporters - although there was something of that involved.
What is certain is that these incidents are just the latest in a growing number of violent confrontations at high-profile European matches and UEFA, and its new president Michel Platini, need to act fast to nip this growing problem in the bud before football is pitched back into the mess of two decades ago.
UEFA should go beyond punishing clubs with paltry fines and ground closures and consider kicking out every club which cannot police and steward fans safely.
English clubs have learnt their lessons from the disasters of the past with safe grounds, modern stadiums and, in the main, excellent security control at matches played in England.
Now UEFA should ensure that every other country emulates England's domestic standards -- or refuse clubs permission to play in their competitions.
FAR WORSE
Wednesday's violence in Rome appears to have been far worse than that which occurred in Seville, even though a number of Spurs fans ended up in hospital.
What UEFA needs to establish immediately is what has caused two similar incidents in two countries 24 hours apart.
To paint a picture of innocent Manchester United and Spurs fans being provoked by aggressive Roma or Sevilla supporters and then battered by vicious Italian and Spanish police would be too simplistic.
There is often an under-current of potential violence among groups of English fans both at home and in Europe.
However, suggestions made on Thursday by Italian officials that United fans came looking for trouble appear wide of the mark. The ones with the weapons were the Roma fans and the Italian police and most of those on the receiving end were United fans.
Without doubt, stadium security in Italy is not as good as it is in England. The death of Italian policeman Filippo Raciti during rioting at a Serie A match between Catania and Palermo in early February was proof of that.
Measures have since been taken to improve the security at many of Italy's outdated grounds.
SERIOUS CONCERN
The structures, however, are only part of the problem. Wednesday night's violence highlighted the other serious concern -- who is responsible for the safety of fans once inside the ground.
At the moment city councils send in ordinary police, who do little more than keep rivals supporters apart.
Many in the country have suggested that the clubs themselves should take responsibility for safety by employing specially-trained stewards to stamp out violent behaviour by individuals before it spreads.
For those who follow Italian football closely, the images of policemen thumping fans are depressingly familiar.
But the rank and file of Italian police are, in the main, poorly paid and do a thankless job. The average Italian policeman earns about 1,400 euros a month. They do not get extra for keeping rival sets of fans apart on matchdays.
Faced with 5,000 angry Manchester United fans, who were shouting words they did not understand and who were trying to break through their lines to reach the taunting Roma supporters the Italian police lost their cool and lashed out.
Where this leaves Italy's bid for Euro 2012 is anybody's guess.
Though the bid is considered a strong favorite to beat off rival joint bids by Hungary and Croatia, and Poland and Ukraine, the images will still be fresh in the minds of UEFA's executive committee when they vote in Cardiff on April 18.
But unless UEFA are certain that a match can be policed properly, that properly trained stewards search fans on arrival and the risk of danger to home and visiting fans is minimal, they should not sanction a game to take place.
President Platini has many problems to solve in his new job and making sure international events can take place in modern safe conditions in places like Rome and Seville must be at the top of his agenda.
Second straight night of violence in European soccer
Tottenham fans fought with Spanish police in riot gear Thursday night during the English team's UEFA Cup quarterfinal at Sevilla.
Seven fans of the London club were reportedly hospitalized -- mostly with cuts to their heads. A policeman also was reported to have been injured in the disturbances.
The violence appeared to begin at about the 30th minute of Sevilla's come-from-behind 2-1 win, after the home team tied the game on a disputed penalty kick by former Tottenham player Frederic Kanoute. Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson was called for a foul in the 18th for taking down Adriano Correia. Television replays showed Robinson got a hand to the ball before making contact with Adriano.
Fans ripped up plastic seats at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium and hurled them at police, who then hit spectators with night sticks. Before the match, about 50 Tottenham fans reportedly clashed with police outside the stadium.
On Wednesday, Italian police clashed with Manchester United fans during its Champions League match at AS Roma.
Sevilla, the defending UEFA Cup champion, got a go-ahead goal from Alexander Kerzhakov in the 36th. Robbie Keane scored for Spurs in the second minute.
Two other Spanish teams came away with first-leg victories. Osasuna won 3-0 at Bayer Levekusen and Espanyol won 3-2 at Benfica. In the other game, Werder Bremen tied 0-0 at the Netherlands' AZ Alkmaar.
Second legs of the total-goals series are scheduled for next Thursday.
Spurs fans to face Seville court after clashes
By Sonya Dowsett
MADRID, April 6 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur supporters were to blame for clashes with police during their team's UEFA Cup game at Sevilla and seven Spurs fans will appear in court, a Spanish official in Seville said on Friday.
However, Tottenham said they wanted answers from the Spanish authorities over what sparked the trouble because their fans, whose behaviour in Seville before the game had been excellent, were "showing no aggression whatsoever" at the match when some were set upon by riot police.
A number of Spurs fans were injured in the trouble that broke out in the first half of Thursday's quarter-final first leg at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, while television pictures showed seats and missiles being thrown at police.
Faustino Valdes, the Madrid government's representative in Seville, told Reuters: "We have two police...who have suffered some serious blows and we also have arrested some (seven) Tottenham fans who should be now appearing in court."
Spanish news agency Europa Press reported that 11 policemen suffered minor injuries as a result of Spurs fans throwing seats at them during the game. One policeman was admitted to hospital, but was released on Friday morning.
Explaining Thursday's events, Valdes said: "Some Tottenham fans under the influence of alcohol attacked the private security officers and police, there were some incidents as security tried to overcome the fans and nothing more."
However, Tottenham hit back on Friday in a statement defending the behaviour of their fans in Spain.
"Our supporters have been on four trips into Europe before this and have behaved impeccably so something was clearly different in the way they were treated last night to suffer this sort of response," said club secretary John Alexander.
"We really need to get to the bottom of just what the police were trying to do when they entered those segregation lines.
SET UPON
"We have been distressed to hear about incidents involving our supporters at a time when they were showing no aggression whatsoever and also in respect of our disabled supporters being set upon by the Spanish riot police.
"We need to understand how we are in a position whereby we have two... Spurs stewards assaulted by the Spanish police, along with our disability co-ordinator being injured too."
Tottenham said they would co-operate fully with European soccer's governing body UEFA, the British Embassy and the Spanish authorities to try to understand what happened.
Police chief superintendent Simon O'Brien, who was in Seville as an observer and will help the club investigate the cause of the trouble, praised the Tottenham stewards for doing "a remarkable and commendable job" at the match.
"...it was quite clear there was a different level of police intervention to that employed in the UK and the introduction of the police during the match in one particular section of the crowd undoubtedly contributed to the disturbances that we saw."
He said the behaviour of the Spurs fans' throughout the day was excellent and his comments were endorsed by Andy Smith, the FA Security Advisor who was also at the match.
Valdes sought to play down the trouble, adding there was no fan-on-fan violence, a view endorsed by Spurs, and that the afternoon in the city had passed smoothly.
"I really want to play down these events after the fantastic atmosphere that prevailed during the whole day.
"It was an incident surrounding a few people who behaved badly, probably because they had drunk too much."
The disturbances, which marred a 2-1 win for Sevilla, were the second to involve travelling English supporters in Europe in the space of 24 hours.
A total of 18 fans, 14 of them English and four Italian, were hurt in trouble in Rome where AS Roma beat Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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UEFA seeks sports police force by next season - report
LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - UEFA is working to try to introduce a cross-border sports police force to keep order at European soccer matches from next season, a British newspaper reported on Saturday.
Games involving English clubs Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in Europe this week were marred by violent clashes between fans and local police in Rome and Seville.
"We are looking to create a type of European sports police, a way of dealing systematically with the problem," The Daily Telegraph quoted a senior official of European soccer's governing body as saying.
UEFA President Michel Platini recently called for the setting up of an international police force to deal with sports related violence, a topic of discussion in a meeting he had with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
"We need cool heads. First of all, we cannot tolerate violence in any form off the pitch, but we also have to understand the mechanics of it," said the UEFA official, who was not identified.
"It is over the travelling fans that there are concerns over safety, because it is easier to cause trouble abroad than in England.
"But you have to take note of some reports in the Italian press after the incidents in Rome," he said.
"One point is the drinking habits of English fans, which do shock many southern Europeans."
There was trouble in the streets and in the stands when United met AS Roma in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Rome's Olympic Stadium on Wednesday with 18 fans, 14 English and four Italian, injured.
Baton-wielding Spanish riot police clashed with Spurs fans the following night during the first leg of the UEFA Cup quarter-final tie at Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
Both Spurs and Sevilla expressed shock at the force Spanish police used to remove English fans from an unauthorised area of the stands.
"We have been seriously concerned about the law and order situation around European games for the last six months," the official said.
British newspapers said Tottenham and Chelsea officials would be discussing the trouble in Seville when the teams meet in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Chelsea visit Spain next week to face Valencia in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Testimony raises doubts over cause of policeman's death
ROME, April 6 (Reuters) - The Italian policeman killed in February during clashes with soccer fans in Sicily was hit by a reversing police car and that, rather than rioters, may be what caused his death, a defence lawyer said on Friday.
The lawyer for the 17-year old boy accused of killing Filippo Raciti on Feb. 2 in Catania cited testimony by a fellow policeman, who said that he had hit something with the car while reversing away from firecrackers thrown by fans.
The policeman's testimony was printed by Italian magazine L'Espresso on Friday and prompted politicians from both Prime Minister Romano Prodi's coalition and the opposition to call for the claims to be investigated.
In the testimony given to police on Feb. 5, the policeman said he could not see properly because of thick smoke.
"I heard a knock against the car and I saw Raciti, who was (outside the car) on my left ... put his hands on his head. I stopped the vehicle and saw a couple of colleagues assisting him to prevent him from falling to the ground," he said.
Defence lawyer Giuseppe Lipera told Reuters the testimony shed a different light on the death of the policeman.
"I think that the boy has nothing to do with this. The link with the (car) accident seems very plausible," he said.
Politicians called on the government to investigate the claims at a time when Italian police are under fire for alleged heavy-handedness against Manchester United fans during this week's Champions League game against AS Roma.
Orazio Licandro, a lawmaker with the Communist party PDCI, said he would ask the interior minister to urgently comment on the new development in parliament.
"The testimony introduces elements which suggest a completely different case from the official version and makes us seriously consider that the death of Raciti could have been a tragic and banal accident," Licarno said.
Right-wing senator Roberto Calderoli said: "Out of respect for our security forces, we need to clear things up."
Raciti's death was initially attributed to a firecracker exploding in his face.
An autopsy later showed he died after suffering injuries to his ribs and liver due a blow from a blunt object, which prosecutors pinned on a piece of metal hurled by the teenager suspect.
But the defence team for the boy, whose name has not been made public because of his age, says that his injuries were consistent with him being hit by a car. The teenager is in jail awaiting trial.
Raciti's death outraged Italy and prompted the government to temporarily suspend matches and pass tougher laws to improve security at stadiums.
The chief prosecutor in Catania, Gaspare La Rosa, said on Friday the policeman's testimony was known by magistrates when they ordered the arrest of the teenager and that no new line of investigation was being considered.
English football fans in disgrace again, or are they?
SEVILLE, Spain (AFP) - Lurid newspaper headlines in Britain on Friday, after the UEFA Cup match between Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur, suggested that English football fans had disgraced themselves again.
However, the analysis of Thursday's incidents in Spain which came 24 hours after 13 Manchester United fans were taken to hospital after fighting between rival fans and police at Roma's Olympic stadium in Italy, was rather different.
The words mayhem and madness proliferated many of the British reports on Friday.
By contrast in Spain, what little mention there was of incidents of crowd violence during the 2-1 win by the local side and UEFA Cup holders over the visitors from London was confined to a few paragraphs on the inside pages.
"The behaviour of the English supporters was in general fine except for a group of around 200 violent ones who, from the start of the game, started fighting between themselves and then afterwards with the police," commented Spanish sports daily As.
Pictures of the fighting, which started about 10 minutes into the game, and other Spanish media accounts, suggest that only between 20 to 30 Tottenham fans were actually involved with the group throwing seats and stones at the police.
Sevilla football club themselves said that six Spurs fans had been treated at the ground with three of them taken to hospital for further treatment.
Police initially reported there had been no arrests but later said seven Tottenham supporters had been detained -- six inside the stadium and one outside of the grounds. Eleven officers were slightly injured, police said.
"The behaviour of the Tottenham fans outside the stadium was good. What happened inside the Sanchez Pizjuan was sad, the police had to defend themselves," said a Sevilla vice-president Jose Castro.
With an estimated 4,400 Spurs fans descending on Sevilla on one of the city's main festival days, Holy Thursday, and thanks to the hard-line attitude of UEFA in refusing to move the fixture, problems had been envisaged.
However, the nightmare scenario failed to emerge due to visible policing and the common sense from the vast majority of supporters from both sides. "A better atmosphere was almost impossible to imagine before the game.
Thousands of Spurs fans mingling regularly with many Sevilla fans, with the swapping of scarves and other items," reflected one eye-witness account in the Spanish sports daily Marca.
There was only one negative note before the game, when some Spurs fans dropped or smashed some glasses in a road near the stadium and batons were drawn by the police.
"Statistically something clumsy is going to happen between 4,000 people... a few blows, and then peace," added Marca, perhaps making a little too light of the incident.
Football's European governing body UEFA have already promised an investigation into the clashes inside the stadium.
"Any incidents of crowd trouble in the Sevilla against Tottenham match will be investigated by UEFA," said UEFA communications director William Gaillard, who was at the match.
Tottenham Hotspur released a statement early on Thursday morning."The club will be working with the appropriate authorities to ascertain the events of this evening in Seville."
"Our initial reports suggest there was no fan-to-fan fighting at any stage of the proceedings. As such we are seeking explanations as to why the police reacted in the way they did with our fans.
"Tottenham Hotspur supporters have enjoyed an exemplary reputation across Europe this season which is why the events are unprecedented. We will be co-operating fully with UEFA, the British Embassy and the Spanish authorities to understand why this has happened.
"British Police, the club's security officials, and club stewards - supported by British Embassy officials - will also be providing the Spanish authorities and UEFA with full statements from their first-hand experience of what happened tonight," said the London side.
However, Spanish pundits were left wondering on Friday whether this was, for once, a story of English football hooliganism which had been blown completely out of proportion.
Later on Friday, the BBC Internet site reported Tottenham accused Spanish police of hitting a disabled fan during Thursday's match.
Spurs club secretary John Alexander said: "We know one disabled fan was hit with a baton with such force that it knocked him out of his wheelchair." UEFA said they would investigate.
Police video points blame at United fans in Rome
ROME, April 6 (Reuters) - Italian authorities revealed video clips and photographs on Friday which they said proved that Manchester United fans were to blame for the violence at their team's Champions League game at AS Roma.
At least 18 fans were injured in clashes between police and rival fans at Wednesday's quarter-final first leg, sparking accusations by United and their supporters of heavy-handedness by Italian police.
But Rome security officials and police responded on Friday with a news conference at which they released video footage and photographs of trouble at the game, which Roma won 2-1.
The clips showed United fans pushing past Olympic stadium stewards towards Roma supporters, prompting Italian police to move in. United fans could then be seen hurling objects at the police, leading them to charge at the fans with batons.
Achille Serra, the government official responsible for public security in Rome, told reporters that the pictures proved United supporters were the cause of the trouble.
"English fans rushed against the stadium staff," he said.
"Videos that we have clearly show the throwing of seats and bottles by the English fans at police, who at that point, when the stadium staff were overwhelmed by fans, were forced to intervene to avoid collision between the two violent groups from both teams."
Television footage had previously focused on Italian police launching themselves at United fans, leaving several bleeding from head wounds. Fourteen of the 18 injured during the evening were English supporters.
Rome police chief Mario Fulvi told the news conference that at least 2,000 United fans had arrived at the stadium unaccompanied by the police, violating a prior agreement between the two sides to ensure security.
United and its fans have accused Italian police of meting out "indiscriminate beatings" at the game, while European soccer's ruling body UEFA has opened a probe into the clashes.
The events are still being verified, and any police abuse uncovered will be investigated, Serra said. Italy's interior ministry has already said Italian and British officials are co-operating to piece together the exact version of events.
Looking ahead, Serra had earlier told Reuters that Italian fans travelling to Manchester for the second leg next Tuesday should keep a low profile.
"Go and see the game, but don't be provocative in any way, walk around in groups, don't wave Roma scarves around, go there for the love of sport," he said.
"England is a country of great culture, groups of hooligans can be found in any place in the world, it is up to us not to support them or defend them in any way.
"I must send a message for calm, mainly considering the return game next week."
Rome officials again defend police in clashes with Manchester United fans
ROME (AP) -- Italian security officials defended the conduct of police in clashes with Manchester United fans, saying Friday the officers were defending themselves and that the visiting supporters started the violence.
The government's top security official in Rome showed video clips from Wednesday's Champions League match against AS Roma at a news conference Friday, and said it was clear the English team's fans started the clashes.
Prefect Achille Serra was responding to complaints from United fans that the police overreacted.
"The officers couldn't escape at this point," he said, showing one clip in which the police were pushed up against a barricade in the stands. "They were completely surrounded."
The Italian Interior Ministry said late Wednesday the British Embassy and the Italian police were working together to determine what happened.
UEFA is awaiting reports from match and security officials on the clashes; both clubs could face a disciplinary hearing.
During the match, which Roma won 2-1, police in riot gear clashed with some of United's 4,500 fans. Police hit fans with batons as opposing fans taunted and threw objects at each other across the partition separating the rival sections.
Serra said the injured included three United fans who were stabbed and another 14 United fans with lesser injuries. Four Roma fans and seven police officers were also injured, he said.
Three United fans were arrested on charges of violence against a public officer, Serra said.
Rome police chief blames Man Utd fans for crowd trouble
ROME (AFP) - Rome's police chief Achille Serra said on Friday that Manchester United fans were to blame for the violence that marred the Champions League match between the English Premiership club and Roma.
United and Roma fans were involved in fighting outside the Olympic Stadium before Wednesday's quarter-final, first leg, while riot police used batons to subdue visiting supporters when fresh disturbances erupted inside the ground.
The ugly skirmishes left 25 people injured, 14 from England and 11 Italian, of which seven were police officers.
European football's governing body, UEFA, has launched an inquiry into the crowd violence and are expected to make a decision next week as to whether the clubs will face disciplinary charges.
British politicians and Manchester United chiefs have accused Italian police of using excessive force on the English fans, but Serra believes the actions of his officers were justified.
"At the moment when Roma scored the first goal (in the 44th minute) between 100 and 200 drunk Manchester supporters moved towards the glass barrier seperating the stands," Serra told a news conference which included the screening of a seven-minute video of the violence.
He continued: "On the other side Roma hooligans were doing the same thing.
"But while officials managed to stop the Roma fans' advance they were completely swamped by the English and it's because of that that it was necessary for the police to intervene."
Visibly irritated by criticism of his men he added: "The police found themselves right up against the barrier leaving it impossible for them to retreat and you can clearly see one hooligan who was inciting the others to attack.
"Then batons were used in a bid to disperse them as you wouldn't think about tackling maniacs with flowers."
He then turned to the question of why police officers were only positioned on the United supporters' side of the barrier, explaining that they were always stationed with the visiting fans "to defend or contain them".
"It's always like that, whether it be Chievo Verona, Palermo, Valence or Manchester," he stressed.
Serra believes United's warning to their travelling fans about the potential dangers in Rome - posted on the club's website several days before the match - created unnecessary tension.
"Manchester United's warning left me worried and it wasn't something I had expected," he said.
"Rome is one of the safest capital cities in the world. Their warning could have been taken as a form of provocation for some hot-headed Roma fans."
English fans were in the spotlight again on Thursday after Tottenham Hotspur fans fought with Spanish police during their UEFA Cup match against Sevilla.
Three fans of English Premiership side Middlesbrough were stabbed in Rome last year when rival fans clashed before a UEFA Cup match.
Roma fans warned against flag-waving in England
ROME, April 6 (Reuters) - Italian fans travelling to England for next week's Champions League game between Manchester United and AS Roma should keep a low profile after clashes in Rome this week, the Italian capital's security chief said on Friday.
At least 18 fans were injured in clashes between police and rival fans at Wednesday's quarter-final first leg, sparking accusations of heavy-handedness by Italian police.
But Achille Serra, the government official responsible for public security in Rome, said local police acted properly at the match and asked Italian fans to be extra careful at Tuesday's second leg at Old Trafford.
"Go and see the game, but don't be provocative in any way, walk around in groups, don't wave Roma scarves around, go there for the love of sport," Serra told Reuters.
"England is a country of great culture, groups of hooligans can be found in any place in the world, it is up to us not to support them or defend them in any way."
Serra said he would soon release pictures proving that English fans started the trouble at Wednesday's game, which Roma won 2-1.
United and its fans have accused Italian police of meting out "indiscriminate beatings" at the game, while European soccer's ruling body UEFA has opened a probe into the clashes.
But Serra said United supporters were to blame.
"English fans rushed against the stadium staff," he said.
MISSILE THROWING
"Videos that we have clearly show the throwing of seats and bottles by the English fans at police, who at that point, when the stadium staff were overwhelmed by fans, were forced to intervene to avoid collision between the two violent groups from both teams."
The events are still being verified, and any police abuse uncovered will be investigated, Serra said. Italy's interior ministry has already said Italian and British officials are co-operating to piece together the exact version of events.
So far, television images have shown Italian police charging at English fans with shields and batons, leaving several bleeding from head wounds. Fourteen of the 18 injured during the evening were English fans.
But for now, it was important to try and ease tension ahead of Tuesday's match, Serra said.
"I must send a message for calm, mainly considering the return game next week," he said.