The Italian government is proposing to suspend Serie A for several weeks following violence in Rome and Bergamo that was spurred by the shooting death of a Lazio fan by a policeman on Sunday. Additionally, Italy’s anti-hooliganism body wants to see large groups of violent fans — known in Italy as “ultras” — banned from all away games. The group plans to decide on a game-by-game basis which visiting fans can go to stadiums by developing “supporter passports.”
The death of the Lazio fan incited riots across Italy. In Rome, 40 policeman were injured as fans attacked the Italian Olympic Committee headquarters and the area’s police barracks. In Bergamo, the match between Atalanta and AC Milan was suspended after due to similar violence. As a result, three matches were postponed: Inter Milan-Lazio, Roma-Cagliari and Atalanta-AC Milan. “What happened in Bergamo and Rome is pure madness,” Italy’s national coach Roberto Donadoni said.
The police officer who killed the Lazio fan could face manslaughter charges. “I didn’t point it at anything, I didn’t aim at anybody,” he told the Italian paper Corriere della Sera. “The first shot I fired into the air and the second left me while I was running. Now I have destroyed two families, the man’s and mine.”