Italian Soccer suspended due to violence

[Mill]

Wow is all I can.

 

[BigJ]

An explosive device? So people actually prepare to seriously injure or kill others over soccer? If they want to play that game, they should just declare martial law after each soccer game and go to town on anyone who wants to riot. Let them know they aren't fvcking around anymore.

 

[KLin]

I hate soccernet. It always asks me for my region. :thumbsdown:

 

[Howard]

It's Materazzi's fault.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: KLin
I hate soccernet. It always asks me for my region. :thumbsdown:

I thought I was the only one that got pissed at that.

 

[chcarnage]

Soccer security in Italy is all talk, no walk. The reports in the Swiss media are hair-rising. According to newer reports, the police officer wasn't killed by an explosive device but by a rock or another massive object that was thrown close to the bomb.

The local derby should've begun with a minute's silence for another victim of hooligan violence in a game of the third league. But the audience wasn't silent. The ref then wrongly counted two goals, this cooked up the emotions. And Catania celebrated a local holiday yesterday, and firework was available at many shops.

These were the things that went wrong specifically this time, but the entire sport is totally broken in Italy:

[*] With decreasing international attention, the prosecution of several "calciopoli" actors is on a good way to prescription.
[*] Remember Luciano Moggi, the head of the calciopoli manipulations? Well, starting February 9, he'll have a professorship in a technical institute in Agropoli, Salerno. His topic? Sport ethics...
[*] In 2003, a law revision made orders to stay away from a game completely useless, because the affected criminal ultras weren't obliged to show up at a police station anymore.
[*] In 2005, the interior minister finally upped the standards for Italys' antiquated stadiums: Controls outside of the stadium, nominal tickets and identity controls, video observation and one security guard per 500 visitors. However, of the 20 Serie A clubs, only Torino, AS Roma, Geneva and Palermo fulfill the standard. The clubs negotiated a generous time limit, June 2007.
[*] Last december, the mentioned Catania ultras (fans) already threw 67 self-made bombs at the local police station.
[*] In Italy, an estimated 60 000 ultras form 700 militant groups, most of them are politically on the right or far right. Some groups try to press money from the clubs for "good behavior" at the games, or other goodies for intimidating competing teams.

Because of Calciopoli and the violence, it's deplorable that Italy has won the last world cup. Well I hope they won't defend it if nothing changes, and I for sure won't be rooting for them when they come here for Euro 08 😛

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: BigJ
So people actually prepare to seriously injure or kill others over soccer?

Oh hell yea - you can hardly go to a football game round here without seeing at least one serious fight. Some clubs are worse than others (Millwall for example, every time I see them there are more riot police than Millwall supporters), and some are relatively tame, but all have their violent elements.