Football suspended in Italy after policeman death
Professional football in Italy has been indefinitely suspended after a police officer was killed during serious trouble at the Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo.
According to reports, he was struck in the face by a small explosive while attempting to deal with fighting outside the stadium. He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries. The policeman, named as Filippo Raciti, was 38.
The Italian football federation (FIGC) held an emergency meeting on Friday evening, and commissioner Luca Pancalli then announced an immediate suspension of football.
“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.”
Speaking at a hastily-arranged press conference in Rome, Pancalli said the suspension would remain in place indefinitely. “The football tournaments will remain suspended until we solve the violence in our football,” he said. “It’s unacceptable that such incidents happen in a country like Italy.”
Italy’s national team was due to play Romania in Siena on Wednesday but that game – and the under-21 fixture against Belgium in Chieti on Tuesday – will not go ahead as things stand.
Add comment February 3rd, 2007