Penny
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Police Chief: Time to ban Roma from Europe.The state of football in Italy is just going from bad to worse!
Now, I know people Man United fans ended up in hospital last night after skirmishes and stabbings outside the ground, and I haven't really been following the story on the news, but I also heard that British fans were also arrested, so were they fighting amongst themselves or were the Roma fans involved too? I presume they were, but the news reports aren't really being clear on this one.
Its always a worry when I foreign team goes to Italy nowadays, or when two big Italian clubs play each other. If they dont' get it under control, I fear we're going to have another big footballing disaster happen very soon.
Is it right to ban Roma from Europe because of it though? They've hit the headlines a few times over this kind of thing, but their fans aren't the only culprits.
| Quote: | Police chief Dave McLuckie has called for Roma to be thrown out of European football after more trouble marred their Champions League clash with Manchester United last night.
Five United fans were stabbed in fighting before the final group game between the two sides in Rome.
Eighteen United supporters needed hospital treatment in April after clashes outside the city's Stadio Olimpico Stadium, while three Middlesbrough fans were stabbed and many others injured as trouble flared the night before their UEFA Cup clash with Roma in March last year.
Councillor McLuckie, chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, was among those caught up in the violence that night and is an outspoken critic of the way the Roman authorities have dealt with football hooliganism.
The Stadio Olimpico is due to host the final of the Champions League in 2009 and, in the wake of the latest incidents, Mr McLuckie believes the time has now come for UEFA to act.
'Roma should be banned from these competitions. They should not be allowed to enter from the start because the authorities are not able to look after the people who come to their city to watch football,' he said.
'They should just be banned from European football. They should not be involved in the Champions League or the UEFA Cup, and that should be the case until they clean up their act.'
English clubs suffered just that fate in the wake of the Heysel tragedy, and Mr McLuckie believes the way British police have subsequently dealt with football hooliganism could be of use to the Italian authorities.
He said: 'We are the experts, sadly, because we needed to be.
'We have a real grip on this kind of thing and I know the British police would be happy to give the Italian authorities and help they require in tackling this issue.
'At the end of the day, the authorities in Rome have failed to keep control of these fans time after time after time, and the Italian authorities as a whole must get in there.
'Here in this country, we do raids on known hooligans before away matches and before big international matches and we stop those individuals travelling.
'They must be more proactive in the way they deal with football hooliganism.
'When people travel to Rome, they don't expect to be attacked and they certainly don't expect to be stabbed, but this is becoming the norm.
'I wouldn't go back there. I love football and I have travelled all over to watch it, but I wouldn't go back to the place.
'I am absolutely astounded that so far, no-one is dead - but it will not be long before it happens.' |
Metro
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El Presidente
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El Preisidente :
Time to ban Italian teams including national one, they are a disgrace from fans to the federation itself.
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clevelandspur
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It has been far beyond a crisis now. It is a shame that a small number of supporters can ruin it for an entire country. However, it is clear that Italian police cannot control the crowds and I fear all Italian football will be shut down for an extended period of time soon. As I have said beofre it isn't just a football problem in Italy it is a cultural and national crisis. There is a disdain for authority and you cannot blame the population for that really with all the corruption that has been going on.
I am not sure what action can be taken at this point that already hasn't happened.
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Penny
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Maybe they'll just have to play all their European fixtures behind closed doors?
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clevelandspur
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^ Yes that looks the case but there is still problems in Serie A matches as well. So when is enough? Some stars are starting to leave and I bet more will follow shortly.
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